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.
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.
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 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.
Estate milk was once transformed into ice-creams, bombes, and syllabubs, and the Georgian ice house still stands in the grounds in front of Goodwood House.
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.
A bell under each place at the table to signal if butlers can come back in to the dining room, a guests privacy is always paramount.
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
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
Sir Stirling Moss was one of the founding patrons of the Festival of Speed, and a regular competitor at the Revival.
Sir Stirling Moss was one of the founding patrons of the Festival of Speed, and a regular competitor at the Revival.
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!
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.
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.
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
FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb
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 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.
Our gin uses wild-grown botanicals sourced from the estate, and is distilled with mineral water naturally chalk-filtered through the South Downs.
A 20m woodland rue, from Halnaker to Lavant, was planted by our forestry teams & volunteers, featuring native species like oak, beech, & hornbeam
One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.
The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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 the private clubhouse for all of the Estate’s sporting and social members, it offers personal service and a relaxed atmosphere
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
The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.
Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.
4 doors in the lodge were rescued from salvage and expertly split to ensure they meet modern fire standards before being fitted.
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.
Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.
Testament to the 19th-century fascination with ancient Egypt and decorative opulence. The room is richly detailed with gilded cartouches, sphinxes, birds and crocodiles.
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.
Better known as the Trundle, St Roche’s Hill is a favourite with racing enthusiasts and detectorists alike, thanks to its fascinating history and commanding views
Words by Peter Fiennes
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The sharp green swell of the Downs that rises to the west of Goodwood Racecourse is called St Roche’s Hill, named after a medieval French saint, but everyone knows it as the Trundle. That’s because at the very top you will find the nine-sided earthwork remains of a near-circular Iron Age fort, and “trundle” is an Old English word for circle. St Roche’s Hill has been inhabited for thousands of years. There’s the faint outline of a Neolithic causeway and enclosure inside the Iron Age fort, dating from around 4,000 BCE; the Romans were here of course; and in about 1475 a chapel was built in honour of St Roch, the patron saint of plagues, in an attempt to contain yet another outbreak in the local villages. The chapel was pulled down in the Reformation, but the mossy remains of its walls make a pleasant place from which to enjoy the extraordinary views. St Roch is also the patron saint of dogs, which may explain many hounds’ hectic love of this wild place. The panorama (blanking out the two radio masts, if you can), takes in hedgerows, large fields and ancient woodlands north to the Weald, or sweeps across the coastal plain and over to the Isle of Wight. Towards Cocking, you can look down on the restless green tops of Charlton Forest, one of Europe’s largest beech plantations.
There’s history here. During the Civil War a group called the Clubmen gathered on the hill to defy the armies of both sides, fed up with incessant pillaging and press gangs. In the succeeding centuries there has been a windmill, a masonic lodge, a gibbet (gallows) and, during World War II, a fort and trenches, but now the Trundle has been absorbed by the South Downs National Park and set aside for nature to reclaim. And that’s the best reason of all to visit. You can see buzzards, red kites and kestrels in the skies, wild thyme, marjoram, orchids, bellflower and rampion underfoot (well, mind how you go), and local wildlife groups make regular butterfly field trips, looking for brown hairstreaks and grizzled skippers.
If you choose to linger late as the light fades in the summer months (trying not to think about that gibbet), keep an eye open for a glint of gold. It is said that Aaron’s golden calf was buried here, long ago, although as soon as it is seen, it disappears in a thunderclap and moves to the other side of the hill. The other treasure here, sought by generations of detectorists, was apparently buried by a Viking army, on its way to fight in nearby Kingley Vale. The Vikings never came back, but they left their loot under the protection of yet another magical golden calf. You will hear it moo or whimper if you’re getting close. It’s something to tell the children, while you sink back in the sweet meadow grass and enjoy free grandstand views of Goodwood Racecourse from the north-east slopes.
This article was taken from the Summer 2019 edition of the Goodwood Magazine.
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