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Sir Stirling Moss was one of the founding patrons of the Festival of Speed, and a regular competitor at the Revival.
King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
One Summer, King Edward VII turned his back on the traditional morning suit, and donned a linen suit and Panama hat. Thus the Glorious Goodwood trend was born.
A 20m woodland rue, from Halnaker to Lavant, was planted by our forestry teams & volunteers, featuring native species like oak, beech, & hornbeam
G. Stubbs (1724–1806) created some of the animal portraiture masterpieces at Goodwood House, combining anatomical exactitude with expressive details
For safety reasons F1 cars can no longer do official timed runs so instead perform stunning demonstrations!
Many items came from Gordon castle in Scotland when it left family ownership, coming out from storage exclusively for Hound Lodge.
Our gin uses wild-grown botanicals sourced from the estate, and is distilled with mineral water naturally chalk-filtered through the South Downs.
FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb
Spectate from the chicane at the Revival to see plenty of classic cars going sideways as they exit this infamous point of our Motor Circuit.
For the last two years, 5,800 bales have been recylced into the biomass energy centre to be used for energy generation
Just beyond Goodwood House along the Hillclimb, the 2nd Dukes banqueting house was also known as "one of the finest rooms in England" (George Vertue 1747).
Legend of Goodwood's golden racing era and Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori once famously said "give me Goodwood on a summer's day and you can forget the rest".
One Summer, King Edward VII turned his back on the traditional morning suit, and donned a linen suit and Panama hat. Thus the Glorious Goodwood trend was born.
The first public race meeting took place in 1802 and, through the nineteenth century, ‘Glorious Goodwood,’ as the press named it, became a highlight of the summer season
Whoa Simon! A horse so determined and headstrong, he not only won the 1883 Goodwood Cup by 20 lengths, but couldn't be stopped and carried on running over the top of Trundle hill
The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection
The first public race meeting took place in 1802 and, through the nineteenth century, ‘Glorious Goodwood,’ as the press named it, became a highlight of the summer season
The first ever horsebox was used from Goodwood to Doncaster for the 1836 St. Leger. Elis arrived fresh and easily won his owner a £12k bet.
Whoa Simon! A horse so determined and headstrong, he not only won the 1883 Goodwood Cup by 20 lengths, but couldn't be stopped and carried on running over the top of Trundle hill
We have been host to many incredible film crews using Goodwood as a backdrop for shows like Downton Abbey, Hollywood Blockbusters like Venom: let there be Carnage and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.
The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.
The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.
The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.
Ray Hanna famously flew straight down Goodwood’s pit straight below the height of the grandstands at the first Revival in 1998
The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
We have been host to many incredible film crews using Goodwood as a backdrop for shows like Downton Abbey, Hollywood Blockbusters like Venom: let there be Carnage and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
David Edney, head Butler dons a morning suit "and a smile" every day and has been woking at Goodwood for over 25 years!
Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!
Ensure you take a little time out together to pause and take in the celebration of all the hard work you put in will be a treasured memory.
King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
As the private clubhouse for all of the Estate’s sporting and social members, it offers personal service and a relaxed atmosphere
The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.
Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.
The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.
The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
We have been host to many incredible film crews using Goodwood as a backdrop for shows like Downton Abbey, Hollywood Blockbusters like Venom: let there be Carnage and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The first thing ever dropped at Goodwood was a cuddly elephant which landed in 1932 just as the 9th Duke of Richmonds passion for flying was taking off.
As autumn arrives, the landscape around Goodwood offers its final burst of colour. Here, one of the estate’s gardening team celebrates the uncut meadows that transform into a riot of ochre and spent flowerheads.
As late summer moves into autumn, the landscape around Goodwood offers its final burst of colour, with uncut meadows transforming into a riot of ochres, dotted with spent flowerheads.
In a grassland, the period that follows this – from autumn through to winter – is a time of rest that the native cool-season grasses use to creep into vacant spaces, taking advantage of the dormancy of other species to gain an early lead in the ecological arms race that spring will bring. For a species to survive, it must find its niche, and plants do so using three contrasting methods: some are able to grow tall and leafy to steal the sunlight; others can capitalise on disturbance such as soil movement, flood or fire to thrive; while certain flora are able to maximise scant resources such as nutrient-poor soils or a gloomy woodland floor. In Britain, terrain with the thinnest, poorest soils often produces landscapes that are richest and most alive.
One of Goodwood’s most prized landscapes is Levin Down, a site of Special Scientific Interest and the eponym of our delicious cheese. Occupying a hilltop of chalky grassland, this exposed site has not once seen a plough or crop and is kept under control by hardy sheep and Exmoor ponies. Unlike lowland meadows, the slight soil means that no one species can dominate – the quick nutrient fix that competitive plants need to feed a period of expansive growth just isn’t available. The Levin Down plant community is made up of elegant survivors such as marjoram, clustered bellflower, eyebright, and round-headed rampion, each able to eke out what little the ground can provide.
Another fine grassland is the parkland that surrounds Goodwood House. Originally a medieval hunting forest, it subsequently evolved into a designed landscape for recreation and husbandry. The gnarled, ancient trees stand today thanks to centuries of coppicing and pollarding, while clumps that once existed for use as game cover were later transformed into features to accent the vistas. The fabric that binds this wood pasture is an unimproved grassland – one that has not been cultivated nor been exposed to artificial enrichment using fertilisers – and this ancient, unchanging management results in a stable, flourishing ecosystem.
Due to the sad loss of this year’s Festival of Speed, the decision was taken to leave the parkland grass to mature, allowing the seeds to ripen and fall, and the result has been spectacular. Sinuous paths designed by the Duchess of Richmond were cut into the long sward, giving wonderfully immersive walks through a habitat of fluttering insects and darting mammals.
The depth of plant variety tells a story of not only what is above the surface, but also below. Soil is as much of a habitat as the grassland it supports – diverse communities of bacteria and fungi create a resilient, active soil. In conventional farming, the use of fertilisers and pesticides can cause these soil communities to collapse, breaking the interdependence between soil flora and the plant rooted within, cultivating a soil that’s comparatively lifeless. Our organic approach to management enriches our soils, and this is reflected in our pastures that support healthy livestock and crops, which in turn create superb products that we very much hope you enjoy.
This article is taken from the Goodwood Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2020 issue.