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
The connection of pilots and their four-legged friends dates back to the First World War, many squadrons having a squadron mascot who would live in and around the hangers and became part of the RAF family. Loyal and attentive to their masters, they offered a sense of calm and companionship in an otherwise traumatic environment. Goodwood was no different in World War 2 with pilot’s dogs appearing in snapshots as early as 1940.
From 1940-1945, over 46 squadrons were based at RAF Westhampnett. Many hundreds of young men and women served on or in and around the airfield who, when off duty would head off into Chichester and the local area in search of beer, company, dancing and good times although some just wanted to return home for a much needed rest. Some found solace and companionship with their dog.
The first squadron to arrive at Goodwood or RAF Westhampnett in July 1940 were 145 Squadron who had moved over from RAF Tangmere. They too brought an assortment of pooches with them as can be seen from the photo below, the first known images of pilots’ pals at dispersal.
The earliest known dog of 602 Squadron during September 1940 onwards was that of Pilot Officer Patrick ‘Paddy’ Barthropp who flew during the Battle of Britain from the airfield. His dog was a dachshund called Blitzkrieg, the squadron also has an Alsatian called ‘Crash’ and another dog called Mr Jackson, a small terrier. They roamed the dispersals of the squadron and appear in the squadron photograph.
129 Squadron who arrived at the airfield in late 1941 had a Dutch pilot who had escaped from captivity by stealing a German floatplane. His name was Govert Steen and he had an Alsatian called Jan who appears in a number of squadron photos, some posed, some accidental, as she roamed the dispersals. Sadly Govert Steen was lost on operations and the Dog was adopted by another pilot Phill Stuart from New Zealand who recalled that she was very protective of her pilots:-
“Steen had a fine German Shepard and when he went missing I took over the care of Jan. Although great fun and friendly to pilots he was a bit of a snob and not happy to allow other than plots into our dispersal huts apart from the few groundcrew who regularly worked there. On one occasion I had trouble with a Spitfire engine fault and on landing back at Westhapmnett I was unable to taxi it back to our dispersal. It was teeming with rain so I borrowed a mechanics rain cape and bicycle and rode back the hut. When I went to go in Jan was not having any of it, bared his teeth and growled at me and then when I spoke to him he was overcome with remorse!”
Even the American pilots of the 309th Squadron who arrived in 1942 had their squadron mascots. Lieutenant Harry Strawn found himself besotted with an old Irish Setter pup he picked up in London whilst on leave and brought him back to live with him at Goodwood.
Right through the RAF’s period of tenure at the airfield there are several constants in all of the period photos, cars and dogs. It’s clear that our four legged friends were very important to the men, a sense of home maybe, normality, companionship and loyalty.