Desmond Guinness
Encyclopedia
Hon. Desmond Guinness is an Irish author on Georgian art and architecture and a conservationist.
He was the second son of the author and brewer Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne
and Diana Mitford
. He was educated at Eton
, Gordonstoun
and Christ Church, Oxford
.
In 1958 he bought Leixlip Castle, Leixlip
, County Kildare
, Ireland
, where he continues to live with his second wife, the former Penelope Cuthbertson, whom he married in 1984. As a member of the extended Guinness family he has a number of well-known relatives, such as Garech Browne
. He has been Master of the North Kildare Harriers.
He and his first wife, Mariga (the former Princess Marie Gabrielle of Urach), founded the Irish Georgian Society
in April 1958 to help to preserve Irish architecture of all periods. This was timely as the Irish planning laws were enacted only from 1963.
The IGS became involved in numerous projects and started publishing quarterly bulletins.
Some early preservations or campaigns were at: Damer House (Tipperary
), The Conolly Folly
(Kildare
), Mountjoy Square, Tailors' Hall, Hume Street
(Dublin) and the Dromana Gateway, (Waterford
).
The IGS also held Georgian cricket
matches played to the rules of 1744.
In 1967-79 the Guinnesses bought and started to preserve Castletown House
, in Celbridge
, Kildare
, said to be the finest Palladian house in Ireland.
In more recent years he has founded a scholarship for students of architecture.
His conservation work has been recognised by many American and English cultural groups, and Europa Nostra.
In 1980 he was made an honorary Doctor of Laws at Trinity College Dublin. In 2006 he was presented with a Europa Nostra
award by the Queen of Spain
. In 2010 he headed the Saint Patrick's Day
parade in Seattle.
and a granddaughter of King Mindaugas II of Lithuania
, by whom he had a son, Patrick Desmond Carl-Alexander
, and a daughter, Marina:
http://www.urach.de/html/lichtenstein.htm. Through Patrick he is a grandfather of the fashion model Jasmine Guinness
.
In 1984 he married Penelope Cuthbertson, a granddaughter of the artist Nico Wilhelm Jungmann
He is the older half-brother (on his mother's side) of Max Mosley
, former President of the FIA.
, the CKAS, the RIAC and the Kildare Street & University Club.
Three books with Julius Trousdale Sadler:
With William Ryan:
With Jacqueline O'Brien, wife of the famous racehorse trainer Vincent O’Brien:
He has also written numerous articles such as:
Thomas Jefferson: Visionary Architect. Horizon, 22 (1979): 51-55.
Bryan Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne
Bryan Walter Guinness, 2nd Baron Moyne , was an heir to part of the Guinness family brewing fortune, lawyer, poet and novelist...
and Diana Mitford
Diana Mitford
Diana Mitford, Lady Mosley , was one of Britain's noted Mitford sisters. She was married first to Bryan Walter Guinness, heir to the barony of Moyne, and secondly to Sir Oswald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, leader of the British Union of Fascists; her second marriage, in 1936, took place at the...
. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray in North East Scotland. Named after the estate originally owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 1600s, the school now uses this estate as its campus...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
.
In 1958 he bought Leixlip Castle, Leixlip
Leixlip
-Politics:Since 1988 Leixlip has had a nine member Town Council , headed by a Cathaoirleach , which has control over many local matters, although it is limited in that it is not also a planning authority...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where he continues to live with his second wife, the former Penelope Cuthbertson, whom he married in 1984. As a member of the extended Guinness family he has a number of well-known relatives, such as Garech Browne
Garech Browne
The Hon. Garech Domnagh Browne, born 25 June, 1939, is a member of the titled family of Oranmore and Browne in the West of Ireland and is a wealthy patron of Irish arts, notably traditional Irish music...
. He has been Master of the North Kildare Harriers.
Irish Georgian Society
Irish Georgian Society
The Irish Georgian Society aims to encourage an interest in and to promote the conservation of distinguished examples of architecture and the allied arts of all periods in Ireland...
in April 1958 to help to preserve Irish architecture of all periods. This was timely as the Irish planning laws were enacted only from 1963.
The IGS became involved in numerous projects and started publishing quarterly bulletins.
Some early preservations or campaigns were at: Damer House (Tipperary
Tipperary
Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....
), The Conolly Folly
Conolly's Folly
Conolly's Folly , a.k.a. The Obelisk or originally The Conolly Folly, is an obelisk structure located near Celbridge and Maynooth, both in north County Kildare, Ireland.-History:...
(Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
), Mountjoy Square, Tailors' Hall, Hume Street
Hume Street, Dublin
Hume Street is a street in central Dublin located between Ely Place and St. Stephen's Green. It is named after the family of surgeon Sir Gustavus Hume....
(Dublin) and the Dromana Gateway, (Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
).
The IGS also held Georgian cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches played to the rules of 1744.
In 1967-79 the Guinnesses bought and started to preserve Castletown House
Castletown House
Castletown House, Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland's is a Palladian country house built in 1722 for William Conolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. It formed the centrepiece of a estate...
, in Celbridge
Celbridge
Celbridge is a town and townland on the River Liffey in County Kildare, Ireland. It is west of Dublin. As a town within the Dublin Metropolitan Area and the Greater Dublin Area, it is located at the intersection of the R403 and R405 regional roads....
, Kildare
Kildare
-External links:*******...
, said to be the finest Palladian house in Ireland.
In more recent years he has founded a scholarship for students of architecture.
His conservation work has been recognised by many American and English cultural groups, and Europa Nostra.
In 1980 he was made an honorary Doctor of Laws at Trinity College Dublin. In 2006 he was presented with a Europa Nostra
Europa Nostra
Europa Nostra, the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, is the representative platform of 250 heritage NGOs active in 45 countries across Europe...
award by the Queen of Spain
Queen Sofía of Spain
Queen Sofía of Spain is the wife of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.-Early life and family:Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark was born in Psychiko, Athens, Greece on 2 November 1938, the eldest child of the King Paul of Greece and his wife, Queen Frederika , a former princess of Hanover...
. In 2010 he headed the Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
parade in Seattle.
Family
Married at Oxford in 1954 to Princess Henriette Marie-Gabrielle ("Mariga") von Urach, daughter of Prince Albrecht von UrachAlbrecht von Urach
Prince Albrecht of Urach was a German nobleman, artist and wartime author, journalist, linguist and diplomat.-Background:...
and a granddaughter of King Mindaugas II of Lithuania
Mindaugas II of Lithuania
Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach was a German prince who was elected King of Lithuania with the regnal name Mindaugas II on 11 July 1918...
, by whom he had a son, Patrick Desmond Carl-Alexander
Patrick Guinness
Patrick Desmond Carl Alexander Guinness, KLJ is an Irish historian and author, and one of heirs of the Guinness business dynasty....
, and a daughter, Marina:
http://www.urach.de/html/lichtenstein.htm. Through Patrick he is a grandfather of the fashion model Jasmine Guinness
Jasmine Guinness
Jasmine Leonora Guinness has been a designer and a fashion model since 1994. She is also an heiress to the Guinness brewing fortune.-Personal life:...
.
In 1984 he married Penelope Cuthbertson, a granddaughter of the artist Nico Wilhelm Jungmann
Nico Wilhelm Jungmann
Nico Wilhelm Jungmann , also known as Nico Jungman, was a Dutch painter of landscapes and figural subjects. He was also a book-illustrator and decorator. Jungmann studied with a church painter and also at the Royal Academy, Amsterdam...
He is the older half-brother (on his mother's side) of Max Mosley
Max Mosley
Max Rufus Mosley is the former president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile , a non-profit association that represents the interests of motoring organisations and car users worldwide...
, former President of the FIA.
Philanthropic and social activities
He has also been a member of Irish groups such as the Iveagh TrustIveagh Trust
The Iveagh Trust is a provider of affordable housing in and around Dublin, Ireland. It was initially a component of the Guinness Trust, founded in 1890 by Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, great-grandson of the founder of the Guinness Brewery, to help homeless people in Dublin and London...
, the CKAS, the RIAC and the Kildare Street & University Club.
Books
- Portrait of Dublin (New York, Viking Press, 1967)
- Georgian Dublin (Batsford, B.T., Ltd.1979) ISBN 978-0-7134-1908-5
Three books with Julius Trousdale Sadler:
- Mr Jefferson, architect (New York, Viking, 1973) ISBN 978-0-670-49261-9
- Palladio: A Western Progress (New York, 1976) ISBN 978-0-670-53732-7
- Newport preserv'd : architecture of the 18th century (New York : Viking Press, 1982) ISBN 978-0-670-50938-6
With William Ryan:
- Irish Houses and Castles; with William Ryan. (London: Thames & Hudson 1973).
- The White House: An Architectural History (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980). ISBN 978-0-07-054352-2
With Jacqueline O'Brien, wife of the famous racehorse trainer Vincent O’Brien:
- Dublin - A Grand Tour (Weidenfeld & Nicholson 1994)
- Great Irish Houses and Castles (Harry N. Abrams, Inc.) ISBN 978-0-8109-3365-1 (December 1998) and in paperback (Weidenfeld & Nicolson September 1993) ISBN 978-0-297-83236-2.
He has also written numerous articles such as:
Thomas Jefferson: Visionary Architect. Horizon, 22 (1979): 51-55.