The Goodwood Estate is in the heart of West Sussex and is home to the world-famous Festival of Speed, Goodwood Revival and Glorious Goodwood. Goodwood House and Estate have been a family’s home for over 300 years, and there can be few places as beautiful.

The history began with the first Duke of Richmond, illegitimate son of Charles II by his French mistress, Louise de Kérouaille, when originally rented Goodwood to enjoy the fox hunting with the nearby Charlton Hunt, then the most fashionable hunt in the country.

In 1697, he bought the house, built in 1616-17 by the 9th Earl of Northumberland – known as the ‘Wizard Earl’ – whose main home was at Petworth. There is evidence that a house had existed at Goodwood as early as 1570. Colen Campbell’s floorplan of 1724 shows the small Jacobean house with gabled ends and, later, sash windows, which must have been added by the first or second Duke.

The second Duke of Richmond employed Matthew Brettingham to enlarge the house to the south, with a pedimented front based on William Kent’s Devonshire House in Piccadilly. This was unfinished when the Duke died in 1750, so it was left to Sir William Chambers to complete the interiors. His son, the third Duke of Richmond, employed a young James Wyatt to remodel and extend the north wing (now mainly demolished) in 1771. This included the Tapestry Drawing Room, which was decorated in 1776-7.

In 1791, the family’s main seat, Richmond House in Whitehall, London, burnt down. Much of the great art collection was saved, and James Wyatt added two great wings to showcase it, taking advantage of the sweeping views across the park. To give unity to the two new wings and Brettingham’s south wing, Wyatt added copper-domed turrets framing each façade.

When the third Duke died in 1806 he left massive debts, so the wing containing the Ballroom was only completed in 1836, when the fifth Duke of Richmond inherited the Scottish properties of his maternal uncle, the last Duke of Gordon.

When the tenth Duke and Duchess of Richmond moved into the house in the late 1960s, the north wing was riddled with dry rot. The decision was taken to demolish the wing but preserve the Tapestry Drawing Room. During this period, the external colonnade and modern kitchens were added to the rear of the house. In 1994 the Duke’s son and daughter-in-law, the eleventh Duke and Duchess of Richmond, moved into the house and completed an extensive refurbishment programme, restoring the rooms to their original Georgian glory.

Nowadays, Goodwood is England’s greatest sporting estate. Seat of the Dukes of Richmond for over three centuries, the family has always welcomed their friends and guests to share in their love of sport. Horseracing, motor racing, golf, flying, shooting and cricket have all been introduced by enthusiastic family members since the first Duke came to Goodwood in 1697.

Within its 12,000 acres, Goodwood is home to one of the largest lowland organic farms in England, a famous Battle of Britain airfield, a celebrated racecourse, a historic motor circuit, two golf courses and one of the oldest cricket grounds in the country, all centred around Goodwood House with its magnificent Regency interiors.