For safety reasons F1 cars can no longer do official timed runs so instead perform stunning demonstrations!
Our replica of the famous motor show showcases the "cars of the future" in true Revival style
King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
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
A 20m woodland rue, from Halnaker to Lavant, was planted by our forestry teams & volunteers, featuring native species like oak, beech, & hornbeam
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.
David Edney, head Butler dons a morning suit "and a smile" every day and has been woking at Goodwood for over 25 years!
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!
The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.
Each room is named after one of the hounds documented in January 1718, including Dido, Ruby and Drummer.
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.
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".
Future Lab is Goodwood's innovation pavilion, inspiring industry enthusiasts and future scientists with dynamic tech
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own Aerodrome!
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
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 horsebox was used from Goodwood to Doncaster for the 1836 St. Leger. Elis arrived fresh and easily won his owner a £12k bet.
Leading women of business, sport, fashion and media, take part in one of the most exciting horseracing events in the world.
King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
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.
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
King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
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 iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
Ray Hanna famously flew straight down Goodwood’s pit straight below the height of the grandstands at the first Revival in 1998
Just beyond Goodwood House along the Hillclimb, the 2nd Dukes banqueting house was also known as "one of the finest rooms in England" (George Vertue 1747).
Just beyond Goodwood House along the Hillclimb, the 2nd Dukes banqueting house was also known as "one of the finest rooms in England" (George Vertue 1747).
The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.
One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.
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 Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.
Flying jetpacks doesn't have to just be a spectator sport at FOS, you can have a go at our very own 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.
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.
King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.
The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.
As the private clubhouse for all of the Estate’s sporting and social members, it offers personal service and a relaxed atmosphere
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.
Testament to the 19th-century fascination with ancient Egypt and decorative opulence. The room is richly detailed with gilded cartouches, sphinxes, birds and crocodiles.
Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.
The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.
Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.
The oldest existing rules for the game were drawn up for a match between the 2nd Duke and a neighbour
Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.
Dismissed by Enzo Ferrari as mere “garagistes”, the Cooper Car Company nevertheless had a lasting influence on motorsport and racing-car design. We trace the rise and fall of the Surbiton-based business born out of a passion for hillclimbing.
Words by Peter Hall
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A “make do and mend” mentality was one of the few resources freely available in post-war Britain, so in June 1946, when motorsport enthusiasts John Cooper and Eric Brandon decided to get into hillclimbing – that is, racing cars up hills – they used whatever they could find. With John’s father Charles, owner of Cooper’s garage in Hollyfield Road, Surbiton, they set about building a lightweight machine using the front suspension assemblies from two scrap Fiat Topolinos bolted to each end of a simple ladder chassis and a 500cc JAP motorcycle engine mounted behind the driver, allowing chain drive to the rear axle. Five weeks later, John drove the car at Prescott Hillclimb, little realising that he was kick-starting a motorsport revolution.
Despite numerous teething troubles – the engine mountings had to be reinforced with agricultural plough handles – the miniature racer showed promise. The mid-engined layout was purely pragmatic, but concentrating the weight between the front and rear wheels also gave the car excellent balance. So many enthusiasts wanted one that in 1947 the Cooper Car Company was founded. It would soon become the world's largest specialist builder of racing cars. The founders hired engineer Owen “The Beard” Maddock, coincidentally the son of the architect who designed the Surbiton factory, whose lateral thinking and draughtsmanship were increasingly valued as technical drawings replaced sketches on the walls.
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Cooper supplied cars for the likes of Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Ken Tyrrell and Bernie Ecclestone, and dominated the new 500cc F3 category. One even qualified for the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. For 1952, it produced a front-engined F2 car that gave Mike Hawthorn two wins and a second place at Goodwood’s Easter Monday meeting and fourth at the Belgian GP, but the advantages of putting the engine behind the driver were fully realised in 1955 with the Coventry Climax-powered “Bobtail” sports car. Like the 500, it offered superior handling, so a single-seater version was built for F2. A few eyebrows were raised when Cooper works driver Jack Brabham took this T43 to sixth place at the 1957 Monaco GP (pushing it over the line after running out of fuel) but when Moss and Maurice Trintignant used similar cars to win the 1958 Argentine and Monaco GPs, the racing world sat up and took notice.
In 1959, Cooper asked Climax to supply a 2.5-litre engine for F1 and Moss drove the resulting T51 to its first victory in the Glover Trophy at Goodwood. Brabham went on to win the F1 World Championship (despite again having to push his car over the line at Sebring) and repeated the feat in 1960. As midengined machines were clearly lighter, nimbler and more aerodynamic, Cooper’s revolution was unstoppable; Enzo Ferrari disparaged them as mere “garagistes” but teams such as Lotus and BRM refined Cooper’s approach and established a British technical dominance in F1 that persists to this day.
As the competition intensified, Cooper’s fortunes declined and there were further setbacks when John was badly injured in 1963 and when Charles died in 1964. The F1 team was sold in 1965, struggling on until 1969, while the factory was leased to the Metropolitan Police in 1968 (it is now a Porsche dealership).
However, there was another legacy. Following the 1959 launch of the Alec Issigonis-designed Mini, John Cooper had conceived a competition version with a bigger engine and disc brakes, and persuaded not only BMC but his friend Issigonis to develop it. The Mini Cooper and Cooper S appeared in 1961 and 1964 respectively and enjoyed decades of success in motorsport, also carving a cultural niche for themselves in the 1969 film The Italian Job . Today, 60 years since they distinguished the works F1 cars from all the other British Racing Green machines on the grid, Cooper’s twin bonnet stripes are still a common sight – in Surbiton and beyond – on BMW’s re-imagined MINI.
This article was taken from the Autumn 2019 edition of the Goodwood Magazine.
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