In 1616 a hunting lodge was built by the Earl of Northumberland at "Godinwood", from this fairly humble beginning Goodwood House developed.

It was in 1697 that the 1st Duke of Richmond rented the lodge, shortly after this he purchased the property. The local hunt was the first in England to hunt foxes. The 2nd Duke of Richmond began developing the house extending the house to the south, overlooking Chichester. The 2nd Duke had to marry the Earl of Cadogan's daughter Sarah to settle a gambling debt between their respective fathers. The Duke then set off on a tour of Europe, minus his new wife. Three years later he returned to England, the Duke was in a London theatre when he spotted a very attractive young lady and decided to make her acquaintance. It must have been quite a shock to discover that she was his wife. By all accounts they had a very happy marriage and produced twelve children. The 3rd Duke developed the North wing of the house. In 1791 the family home in London was burnt down, this, as it turned out was to benefit Goodwood. The 3rd Duke had a large art collection that needed to be housed, to achieve this he set about adding two new wings to Goodwood House. Unfortunately the 3rd Duke died in 1806 before the work was complete, leaving the house partly finished and the family with huge debts.

The new wings were eventually completed when the 5th Duke inherited the house. The North wing was demolished in the 1960s when it was found to be riddled with dry rot. The house as it can be seen today is the result of a 3-year refurbishment by the Earl of March. All the rooms in the house have been restored to original Georgian design.

The name Goodwood derives from "Godwins Wood", Earl Godwin father of King Harold. The park is 60 acres of woodland and downland. Opened in 1971 it has many walks and picnic areas, it also offers some splendid views of the surrounding countryside, Chichester and Chichester Harbour.

A family enjoys one of the many views of the Sussex countryside.

In the park you will find an iron age fort known as the Trundle (from the Saxon "tryndel" or circle). The Trundle was an important strategic site from Neolithic times up to the iron age, the fort itself dates back to 250 BC. When the Romans first landed in Sussex the Trundle had been occupied for over 2,000 years. Today the fort provides some excellent views of the Sussex countryside and overlooks Goodwood Racecourse.

In the picture above you can just make out the circle running around the top of the hill.

The Trundle is easy to spot from the distance, mainly because of the two communication masts built inside the circle. The walk up from singleton is a pleasant one, but there is a steep hill to overcome. The view though is worth it. By the way, I hope you have better weather than I did.

The footpath that leads around the top of the Trundle.

Goodwood racecourse as soon from the Trundle today.

The first races were held in 1801 by the 3rd Duke of Richmond, this proved popular and became a permanent fixture in April 1802, the racecourse soon became part of the racing calendar and "Glorious Goodwood" was born. One of the worlds most beautiful racecourses, it soon became a favorite with royalty. King Edward VII called Goodwood "a garden party with racing tacked on".

A public information sign overlooking the racecourse shows how the course looked in its early years.

The nearby village of Singleton benefited greatly from the racecourse, racegoers would arrive at Singleton station and come up the steep hill (known as Town Lane) to the racecourse. The stable boys, bookmakers and trainers would stay at the village, racehorses would also be stabled there.

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