A History of Dogs at Goodwood

22nd April 2026
Clementine de la Poer Beresford

Dogs have long been part of life at Goodwood Estate, not just as companions but as a constant presence woven into the story of the Richmond family. In honour Goodwoof, Goodwood curator, Clementine de la Poer Beresford, shares the indelible connection to the Dukes of Richmond’s and our four-legged friends.

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Charles, 3rd Duke of Richmond (oil on canvas) by Batoni, Pompeo Girolamo (1708-87)..The Trustees of the Goodwood Collection..Italian, out of copyrigh

Enter Goodwood’s most important resident: the dog. Since the 17th century, when the 1st Duke of Richmond first bought the Goodwood Estate, dogs have been part of the family. A quick glance at the paintings inside Goodwood House reveals that dogs dominate the canvases and that family members have always held their trusty hounds in high esteem.  

Spaniels have long been a favourite. In a painting from the 1680s, a lively-looking spaniel drinks water at the feet of Louise de Keroualle, mother of the 1st Duke of Richmond. At the time, Spaniels were associated with Charles II, and so the inclusion was a nod to Louise’s position as the King’s mistress. Louise’s great-grandson, the 3rd Duke of Richmond, was so fond of these two liver-coloured Sussex Spaniels that he could not bear to be without them when he embarked on the Grand Tour in 1755. The pair travelled with him to Rome, where they were painted alongside their master by Pompeo Batoni. The Duke let them take centre-stage and one in particular steals the limelight, looking adoringly at the Duke and resting his paw loyally on his sleeve. It is telling that when George Stubbs came to Goodwood to capture on canvas the sporting activities on the estate in 1759/60, the Duke again chose his Sussex Spaniels to feature; they appear in two of the three scenes he produced, Shooting at Goodwood and Racehorses Exercising at Goodwood. The Duke’s fondness for dogs was well known, so much so that in 1782, his wife’s half-sister, Anne Damer, carved for him two sleeping dogs (a spaniel and a poodle) in marble. The 3rd Duke’s nephew, the 4th Duke of Richmond, also had a soft-spot for the Spaniel, naming his Blücher, after the Prussian general. Blücher even accompanied him on his tour of Upper Canada in 1819. The trip brought tragedy though, when Blücher was attacked by a pet fox; when trying to separate them, the Duke received a nasty bite from the fox, caught rabies, and died shortly afterwards.  

Spaniels were by no means the only favoured breed; until the end of the 19th century, foxhounds were also a familiar sight on the estate. The 1st Duke of Richmond bought Goodwood in 1697 as a place to stay to go foxhunting with the fashionable Charlton Hunt, the oldest foxhunt in England. As Master of the Charlton Hunt, the 2nd Duke of Richmond, knew each of the hounds by their names and markings; he kept a notebook documenting their pedigrees, taking an active interest in their breeding (remarkably, this still exists in Goodwood’s library). When the hounds moved from Charlton to Goodwood under the tenure of the 3rd Duke, they were given a new state-of-the-art kennels close to Goodwood House. Costing £6,000 and designed by King George III’s architect, James Wyatt, no expense was spared. Function combined with form in the aesthetic design of The Kennels; classical ideals of symmetry, harmony and proportion ensured the building had an elegance and grandeur that at the time superseded Goodwood House. The building even had central heating – family and friends staying at Goodwood House would not enjoy the same luxury for another 100 years! When the hunt was revived in 1883, new kennels were constructed over the road in the form of Hound Lodge, now a beautifully restored ten-bedroom property, perfect for entertaining and with the old kennels still intact in the garden. 

The late 19th century also saw the arrival of a new breed to Goodwood, the Pekingese. In 1860, when the Old Summer Palace in Peking was destroyed by British troops during the Second Opium War, five Pekingese dogs were discovered. One was presented to Queen Victoria and two to Frances, Duchess of Richmond, named Guh and Meh. These were the first ever Pekingese dogs in England.  

Today, all sorts of breeds can be spotted on the estate. Whether enjoying a cup of coffee at The Kennels, where dogs can also have their very own membership, accompanying their humans on the golf courses, or taking a walk through the grounds; you will be hard-pressed not to see someone accompanied by their favourite canine companion. Dogs remain very much part of the Goodwood family and are no better celebrated than at Goodwoof, a dog event like no other, held this year on 16-17 May 2026 by The Kennels, right where Goodwood’s love affair with dogs began. 

You can find out more about the Goodwood Collections as part of an Afternoon Tea & Tour experience at Goodwood House from March through to October.

Article taken from Woof! Edition 11.

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