Festival of Speed is our longest-standing Motorsport event, starting in 1993 when it opened to 25,00 people. We were expecting 2000!
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".
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 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
Our gin uses wild-grown botanicals sourced from the estate, and is distilled with mineral water naturally chalk-filtered through the South Downs.
The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.
"En la rose je fleurie" or "Like the rose, I flourish" is part of the Richmond coat of Arms and motto
The bricks lining the Festival of Speed startline are 100 years old and a gift from the Indianapolis Speedway "Brickyard" in 2011 to mark their centenary event!
Mattresses and eiderdowns are stuffed with wool from the Goodwood Estate.
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
Our replica of the famous motor show showcases the "cars of the future" in true Revival style
Sir Stirling Moss was one of the founding patrons of the Festival of Speed, and a regular competitor at the Revival.
From 2005 to present there has been a demonstration area for the rally cars at the top of the hill
Sir Stirling Moss was one of the founding patrons of the Festival of Speed, and a regular competitor at the Revival.
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
Leading women of business, sport, fashion and media, take part in one of the most exciting horseracing events in the world.
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
Leading women of business, sport, fashion and media, take part in one of the most exciting horseracing events in the world.
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
For the last two years, 5,800 bales have been recylced into the biomass energy centre to be used for energy generation
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
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 training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.
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 iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
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.
After a fire in 1791 at Richmond House in Whitehall, London, James Wyatt added two great wings to showcase the saved collection at Goodwood. To give unity to the two new wings, Wyatt added copper-domed turrets framing each façade.
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.
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.
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.
One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.
The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.
"En la rose je fleurie" or "Like the rose, I flourish" is part of the Richmond coat of Arms and motto
Our gin uses wild-grown botanicals sourced from the estate, and is distilled with mineral water naturally chalk-filtered through the South Downs.
Goodwood’s pigs are a mix of two rare breeds (Gloucester Old Spots and Saddlebacks) plus the Large White Boar.
Easy boy! The charismatic Farnham Flyer loved to celebrate every win with a pint of beer. His Boxer dog, Grogger, did too and had a tendancy to steal sips straight from the glass.
A 20m woodland rue, from Halnaker to Lavant, was planted by our forestry teams & volunteers, featuring native species like oak, beech, & hornbeam
The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.
Testament to the 19th-century fascination with ancient Egypt and decorative opulence. The room is richly detailed with gilded cartouches, sphinxes, birds and crocodiles.
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
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.