Place Name
Goodwood Racecourse traces its history to 1802, the year after the 3rd Duke of Richmond first held a private race meeting for the officers of the Sussex Militia and members of the Goodwood Hunt. Up until then, the officers had held their annual races in nearby Petworth Park, courtesy of the Earl of Egremont, but the invitation was withdrawn in 1801. The Duke of Richmond came to the rescue, allowing the officers to race on The Harroway, a narrow ridge on top of the South Downs. The meeting was so successful it was decided to hold a public meeting the following year. This is one of a cluster of roads that were built by the council to form the 548 property Racecourse estate which was laid out in the 1930s on what had been agricultural land belonging to Hacton Farm. The Second World War interrupted building which was continued with the return of peace in the 1940s.
