From 2005 to present there has been a demonstration area for the rally cars at the top of the hill
Our replica of the famous motor show showcases the "cars of the future" in true Revival style
The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection
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 Gordon Tartan has been worn by the Dukes and Duchesses over the last 300 years.
As the private clubhouse for all of the Estate’s sporting and social members, it offers personal service and a relaxed atmosphere
The Fiat S76 or "Beast of Turin" is a Goodwood favourite and can usually be heard before it is seen at #FOS
Within the boot room are hooks for 20 people, enough for all of the Lodges 10 bedrooms.
Our gin uses wild-grown botanicals sourced from the estate, and is distilled with mineral water naturally chalk-filtered through the South Downs.
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
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".
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!
Goodwood’s pigs are a mix of two rare breeds (Gloucester Old Spots and Saddlebacks) plus the Large White Boar.
Future Lab is Goodwood's innovation pavilion, inspiring industry enthusiasts and future scientists with dynamic tech
Goodwood Motor Circuit was officially opened in September 1948 when Freddie March, the 9th Duke and renowned amateur racer, tore around the track in a Bristol 400
King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
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.
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
For safety reasons F1 cars can no longer do official timed runs so instead perform stunning demonstrations!
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.
Our gin uses wild-grown botanicals sourced from the estate, and is distilled with mineral water naturally chalk-filtered through the South Downs.
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.
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.
One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.
Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
Ray Hanna famously flew straight down Goodwood’s pit straight below the height of the grandstands at the first Revival in 1998
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 Gordon Tartan has been worn by the Dukes and Duchesses over the last 300 years.
As the private clubhouse for all of the Estate’s sporting and social members, it offers personal service and a relaxed atmosphere
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 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.
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
A 20m woodland rue, from Halnaker to Lavant, was planted by our forestry teams & volunteers, featuring native species like oak, beech, & hornbeam
Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.
Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.
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.
The oldest existing rules for the game were drawn up for a match between the 2nd Duke and a neighbour
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.
A 20m woodland rue, from Halnaker to Lavant, was planted by our forestry teams & volunteers, featuring native species like oak, beech, & hornbeam
Many are not aware of the number of aircrew that against disability caused by enemy action or accidents, physically or mentally, returned back to operation. Their personal battles were often hidden from view, but always there each day, alongside their battle against the enemy.
Goodwood Aerodrome
WWII
raf westhampnett
One lesser known story of a pilot that did just that, is of Colin Hodgkinson. As a lowly Midshipman in the Fleet Air Arm, Colin embarked on his flying career through elementary pilot training on the De-Havilland Tiger Moth. For Colin, his nemesis throughout training was learning to fly on instruments. This meant having to pull a canvas hood over his cockpit to simulate flying at night or in cloud with no reference to the horizon. Colin found this very claustrophobic and required extra tuition to iron out his problems. It was on one of these extended instrument training flights that lead to a potential shortening of his career.
On the 12 May 1939, Colin took off, accompanied by his instructor, and was practising blind flying on instruments under ‘the hood’ when disaster struck. At 1620hrs the Tiger Moth was struck by another aircraft and fell to the earth from 500ft. The instructor was killed and Hodgkinson left badly injured. One eye witness of the crash, Tony Phelps commented, “a few of us were standing on the airfield watching the plane Colin was in. We could see from the course the planes were taking that a crash was inevitable. Another chap and I jumped into my car and we rushed over. Wreckage was spread everywhere. We managed to drag Colin out and did what we could until the proper rescue squads arrived. I can tell you I never thought he would live, much less fly”.
Colin was taken to Gravesend hospital where he underwent a double amputation – right leg above the knee and left leg below it. During the winter of 1939, he was still convalescing as his left leg would not heal. It was during this time that he read a story of Douglas Bader who had under-gone a double amputation following a flying accident. He managed to convince the powers that be that he could return to flying.
Although Colin almost loathed flying, Bader's story inspired him and he wrote to him. The response was encouraging and Colin was determined to return to flying despite the fact that he wasn't a natural pilot. He approached the surgeons to amputate the remaining left leg that was not healing so that he could start the process of getting back to flying with prosthetics, as Douglas Bader had done. By Christmas 1940, he could walk perfectly well with his artificial limbs and was determined to go on flying. He joined RNVR and went on several flights, including a trip to Brest as a rear gunner. In 1941, the admiralty posted him to elementary school which he completed and was promoted to sub lieutenant and passed on to intermediate flying training school where he qualified as a pilot. Colin was not satisfied with this and wanted to go into action so applied for a transfer to the RAF which was granted. In September 1942, he transferred to the RAF as a pilot and on the 19th of that month, flew a Spitfire for the first time at RAF Aston Down.
His first post was with Squadron 131, a Spitfire unit at RAF Westhampnett that at the time was under command of Squadron Leader John Fifield. Fifield thought that as Hodgkinson had artificial legs he may have needed some allowances made for him with regards to distance to his aircraft from his dispersal and also in location of his accommodation. From the start Colin wanted no special treatment, Fifield commented,
he wanted to be treated just like all the others.
John Fifield Squadron Leader
When 131 Squadron were posted out he requested to stay put in the thick of the action. It was unusual that a pilot should be transferred from one squadron to another at the outset of his career, and Colin was called to an interview with Air Vice Marshall J E “Johnnie” Johnson regarding his request to remain at Westhampnett, with the new incoming squadron.
This was approved and Colin flew many sweeps over occupied France. Promotions followed and not only did Colin master his fears of flying but also started to rack up his score, claiming two FW 190s destroyed and a BF 109 damaged whilst flying with 611 squadron. In November of 1943, as a flight commander, he undertook a high altitude weather reconnaissance in a Spitfire IX, MJ117. Unfortunately his oxygen supply failed at 30,000 feet and he crash landed east of Hardelot. The aircraft was such a mess that the Germans had to cut Colin out with an oxy-acetylene torch. He was taken to hospital at St.Omer where he came round after being knocked senseless. Whilst a POW he had a series of operations to sort out his injuries to his face and head which were badly injured in this crash. During his internment he lost a lot of weight, to the point that his artificial legs did not fit and he was in constant pain. He was subsequently re-patriated 10 months after his crash, due to his disabilities. For many this would have been enough, however Colin felt that flying owed him a living and he returned to flying once again at Bristol's Filton airfield, on a ferry unit.
Colin often referred to himself as the 'poor man's Bader' but nothing could be further from the truth. This is the remarkable story of one man's battle against adversity, his struggle against disability and also a fear of flying
Goodwood Aerodrome
WWII
raf westhampnett