The Guinness Partnership owns and manages 65,000 homes across England, providing services for 120,000 customers and care services for 10,000 people.

Everything we do is about helping us to achieve our vision of improving people’s lives by providing as many high-quality affordable homes as possible. We reinvest all our surplus into building more homes and improving services.

Using the website

This website is an archive of our 130th anniversary; it and was created in March 2015 and updated in 2020. For information on The Guinness Partnership, please visit www.guinnesspartnership.com

This website has been created to allow you to explore our history and memories as you wish. The timeline gives an overview of the history of The Guinness Trust and sets it in context of world events and changes to housing policy.

The chapters will give you a glimpse into some of key areas of our work and development, including the people who have lived and worked at Guinness, the holiday home at Newhaven and what happened during the world wars in our London estates.

If you’re interested in a specific estate or area, use the map to find photos, videos and information.

With thanks

This website has been the work of many people and we would like to say particular thanks to:

  • The team at the London Metropolitan Archives, where our archives are held.
  • Professor Peter Malpass, whose book, Housing Philanthropy and the State: A History of the Guinness Trust (UWE, 1998) has provided so much of the history described on this website.
  • The customers and former customers who have shared their stories and memories, particularly Terrie Hounsome, Lissie Balster, Betty Street and David Mansfield.
  • Random House, for allowing extracts from Wheal, Donald James, The World’s End, (Random House, 2005, London).
  • Orion Books, for allowing extracts from Brown, Bill, Billy Brown, I’ll tell your Mother, (Orion Books, 2011, London).
  • The many staff at Guinness who have contributed their stories, knowledge and time.
  • Design to Communicate for design and development.