Goodwood House
18 January 2024 by Simon Drayson
We have been very fortunate to have spent some time at the Goodwood estate over the last year, the splendid country house of the Duke of Richmond located near Chichester in West Sussex. As a venue I believe it is widely recognised but mainly in connection to the many successful events they host within the estate, such as The Festival of Speed, Glorious Goodwood and of course Goodwoof (this year we invited our Agility Desk in the prestigious Barkitecture design competition and are thrilled to have been invited to enter again next year.) We feel that sometimes the magnificent country house is slightly overshadowed by these great days out.
The house and estate are both now classed as Grade I Listed, the grading signifies that they are seen to be of exceptional interest and significance, and of national importance. The house has a long history, original the property was built in 1600 as a hunting lodge, since this time it has been reworked and extended over the years by some architectural greats such as James Wyatt (who also designed notable country houses including Heaton Hall in near Manchester and Dodington Park in Gloucestershire) and John Nash (who is known for his work at Buckingham Palace and the elaborate Royal Pavilion in Brighton) into the magnificent regency style stately home you can see today.
The original hunting lodge can still be seen at the back of the property, a main hall was added with a grand Palladian style south wing around 1750. A north wing was added to balance the property around 1770, but unfortunately, due to dry rot, some of this had to be removed in recent years. The state apartments and round towers were added to the south wing in 1800, interestingly the towers are built using flint which is quite an uncommon material for a building of this scale.
The plan of the house resembles a three-sided octagon, there is a belief that the original plan was to complete a full octagon, although this claim seems to be a little disputed. Regardless, although the house is not a typical stately home, we love it even more because of it.
Within the magnificent house is an equally magnificent art collection, which must be one of the finest private collections in the country. There is a mix of items to enjoy, from Regency French furniture, a Porcelain Collection and notable Tapestries throughout the house, highlighting the vibrant history of the house and its owners. The painting collection includes celebrated artists such as Van Dyck, Canaletto and several Stubbs, including a few which had been painted at the house and depicting the family within the grounds.
Amazingly Goodwood House is still a private family home to the current Duke of Richmond, and has been in his family for over 300 years. It is hard to imagine living in such a magical place, but luckily the estate is open to the public between March and October, and of course you can visit during the big events they host in the summer months. It is also available for private hire or weddings, if you can’t quite stretch to that budget you can also enjoy an afternoon tea in the ballroom which was recently renovated back to its Regency splendour.
Because we have enjoyed spending time at the house over the Goodwoof events, this year we decided to also become Kennel Club members, so we can now enjoy the location and surroundings and use it for our team away days. Archi however much prefers being outside, and there are many walking routes to keep him entertained here as well.
There is too much to discuss about this vibrant country house in one tiny article, we really do recommend that you go and enjoy it for yourself but do make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to take it all in.
If you have enjoyed this article, you might also want to read our top tips for visiting Chichester, Petworth and Guildford.