The story of 25 years of Goodwood badges

So, when the Duke's grandson Charles March began planning the revival of motorsport at Goodwood in 1992, there had to be a badge. And not just any old badge. Now, 25 years later, a full set of Festival of Speed badges has a value. This is not about the money; however, it is about memories of a quarter of a century of summers in Goodwood park.

In the beginning, it was important to retain the style of those BARC badges produced between 1948 and 1966. Charles March chose W.O. Lewis of Birmingham, a family firm since 1832, to make the new ones, the first being a simple chequered flag design reflecting the black, white and silver that remains the ‘branding’ of the Festival to this day.

Philip Lewis remembers how the process began, working with Charles March to create the first badge for the first Festival in June 1993.

“The design process wasn't difficult, it was the finish that Lord March wanted that was demanding, so I got in the car and went to see him. He didn't want a polished finish, didn't like shiny gold detail. He preferred something in a satin nickel or silver, and these days we do about a hundred different samples in various colours and finishes for the Festival and the Revival. He showed me some of the old BARC badges, and we used to do those, so that helped me understand what he wanted. His attention to detail is extraordinary and everything we do has to be approved by him personally.

“The badges are more intricate now, with two pieces or different layers, but we still make them all by hand so that is not a problem for us. There's a machine to stamp the image on the metal, but they are enameled by hand, fired by hand, polished by hand and put together by hand. No automation. Quality is everything, the most important element, and I see every single badge we make before it leaves the factory. If I am away, they put them aside for me to see before they go anywhere. People come to me and they say, ‘we have seen what you do for Goodwood, and we want the quality of that enameling’.

“Why do people love to have a badge? Well, the Jockey Club asked its members if they wanted to stop being offered their annual badges, and 96 per cent of them voted to keep them. A badge says you are somebody, you can go through doors, and into areas, that are only open to you as a badge holder. A swipe card does the same job, but it just isn’t the same thing at all.

"At the first Festival of Speed we made just 350 badges. Now, we make 4,130, plus 1,600 for the Drivers’ Club, 1,250 for the March Enclosure, 550 for the Kinrara, 600 for Cartier and then there’s the Revival and the Members’ Meeting. The numbers keep on increasing, but a badge remains a much-sought-after item.

"I am constantly amazed at the prices these badges make on eBay. They have become real collectors’ items. Goodwood motorsport badges are prized items and, even though we make many more these days, they are still a hand-made item, and a great many people collect them, even frame them, and the value keeps on increasing."

Two separate framed collections of badges have been created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Festival of Speed - one featuring every Festival of Speed badge, the other holding every Goodwood Revival badge. A limited number of these collections are now available from the Goodwood shop at the motor circuit.

Badge collection