About Goodwood

Location and Setting

Goodwood occupies a 12,000-acre estate at the foot of the South Downs in West Sussex, approximately three miles north-east of the cathedral city of Chichester. The estate stretches from the flat coastal plain up onto the chalk downs, with the racecourse perched on the summit at some 700 feet above sea level and the motor circuit, aerodrome and Goodwood House sitting in the parkland below. The landscape is a mixture of open downland, ancient woodland, organic farmland and designed parkland, all within the South Downs National Park. The villages of Lavant, Singleton and Westhampnett sit at the estate's edges, connected by quiet lanes that wind through some of the finest countryside in southern England.

Character and Identity

Goodwood is defined by sport. No other private estate in England, and arguably the world, can match the range and quality of sporting activity that takes place within its boundaries. The motor circuit, established in 1948 on a wartime airfield, has become one of the most celebrated racing venues in the world. The racecourse, where horses have raced since 1802, hosts one of the premier meetings of the flat season. Two golf courses, a cricket ground, an aerodrome and the surrounding South Downs for walking, cycling and riding complete a sporting offering that is without parallel. Yet Goodwood is not a theme park. It remains a working estate, with one of the largest organic farms in England producing food that is served in its own restaurants and sold in its farm shop.

Three Centuries of Sport

The sporting tradition at Goodwood began with the 1st Duke of Richmond, who acquired the estate as a hunting lodge in 1697. The 2nd Duke patronised cricket. The 3rd Duke established the racecourse in 1802. The 9th Duke, Freddie March, created the motor circuit in 1948. The current Duke, Charles Gordon-Lennox, has built on this legacy with the Festival of Speed, launched in 1993, and the Revival, first held in 1998. Each generation has added something new while respecting what came before, and the result is an estate where the sporting heritage stretches back more than three centuries and continues to evolve. The Festival of Speed alone attracts over 200,000 visitors, and the Revival is the most celebrated historic motor racing event in the world.

Goodwood Today

Modern Goodwood operates as an integrated estate that combines agriculture, sport, leisure and hospitality. The organic Home Farm produces beef, lamb, pork, poultry and arable crops using traditional breeds and sustainable methods. The Kennels, a members' club in converted Georgian kennels, offers fine dining and a health club. The Goodwood Hotel provides accommodation and conference facilities. The farm shop sells estate produce to the public. The golf courses, the cricket ground, the aerodrome and the motor circuit are in use throughout the year, and the events calendar runs from the Members' Meeting in spring to the Revival in autumn. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars builds every car in the world at its facility on the edge of the estate, adding a modern industrial dimension to Goodwood's long association with the motor car.

Visiting Goodwood

Goodwood is accessible from the A27 Chichester bypass via the A285, and Chichester railway station is approximately three miles from the estate. During major events, shuttle buses connect the station to the estate. The estate welcomes visitors year-round for golf, walking, dining and the farm shop, and Goodwood House is open for tours on selected dates. The surrounding South Downs provide outstanding walking and cycling, with The Trundle, the Iron Age hillfort above the racecourse, offering one of the finest viewpoints in Sussex. The nearby Weald and Downland Living Museum and West Dean Gardens provide additional reasons to explore this corner of West Sussex, and the villages around the estate offer characterful pubs and accommodation that complement a day on the Downs.