Artist in Residence, Goodwood for The Duke of Richmond, 2015
Speed, Style, and Stillness: Jeremy Houghton’s Residency at Goodwood.
Few places in Britain embody the seamless union of heritage, sport, and style quite like Goodwood, the historic West Sussex estate of the Dukes of Richmond. For over three centuries, this extraordinary estate has played host to a dazzling array of pursuits—from foxhunting and horse racing to classic aviation and modern motor sport. It was therefore a natural and fitting home for Jeremy Houghton, widely regarded as the country’s most distinguished artist in residence, whose work captures the poetry of movement, the reverence for tradition, and the moments of stillness in between.
Houghton’s residency at Goodwood in 2015, under the patronage of Charles Gordon-Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond, was a commission that demanded a rare combination of talents: an artist able to paint with both the muscular dynamism of speed and the nuanced serenity of landscape. Houghton rose to the challenge with characteristic versatility, producing works that chronicled the rhythm of the estate across its signature events—the Festival of Speed, Goodwood Revival, and Glorious Goodwood—as well as the quieter, pastoral life of the estate once the crowds had dispersed.
The Festival of Speed, founded by the Duke himself in 1993, is one of the most prestigious automotive events in the world. Attracting over 150,000 visitors a day, it brings together Formula One champions, Le Mans legends, and historic racing marques in a spectacular hill climb event. Houghton captured not only the technical brilliance and sheer speed of cars like the Ferrari 250 GTO, Jaguar D-Type, and McLaren MP4/4, but also the performative pageantry of an event that draws royalty, A-list celebrities, and global automotive royalty alike—including the likes of Lewis Hamilton, David Beckham, and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Just as evocative is the Goodwood Revival, a time-travel experience where vintage cars race in period authenticity, and guests arrive in 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s attire. For an artist attuned to narrative and atmosphere, the Revival offered a unique visual feast. “I wanted my paintings to have a kind of temporal ambiguity,” Houghton explains. “Was this scene yesterday or 60 years ago? That’s the magic of Goodwood—it exists out of time.” His works from the Revival capture more than nostalgia; they distil the charisma and character of a bygone era brought vividly back to life.
Equally compelling was Glorious Goodwood, the estate’s signature flat-racing meet, long regarded as one of the highlights of the British racing calendar. With its sartorial elegance and elite competition, the event continues the long-standing tradition of equestrian excellence at Goodwood, which dates back to the 18th century. Houghton, who had previously painted the Queen’s racehorses and documented Royal Ascot, approached these works with both technical mastery and an instinct for capturing the synergy between horse and rider, speed and grace.
But beyond the glamour and velocity, Houghton also turned his eye to the pastoral quiet of the estate. In the off-season, Goodwood transforms into a landscape of verdant woods, deer-studded parkland, and weather-worn stables. Here, Houghton’s palette softened, his brushwork slowed, and his compositions allowed space for contemplation. This balance between motion and stillness—between spectacle and subtlety—is a hallmark of his practice, and it was at Goodwood where it found one of its most complete expressions.
Goodwood has long drawn the attention of artists, from George Stubbs, whose equestrian studies defined the genre, to contemporary interpreters of British heritage. But Houghton’s residency was unique in its scope and access. He did not merely observe events; he inhabited them, sketching from pit lanes, paddocks, airfields, and finishing lines. His previous experiences—as official Olympic artist at London 2012, artist-in-residence for the All England Lawn Tennis Club, and portraitist for the RAF and Army—gave him a fluency in capturing energy, precision, and poise across a variety of elite disciplines.
Notably, Goodwood’s recent expansion into aviation—via its partnership with the Boultbee Flight Academy, which operates classic Spitfires from the Goodwood Aerodrome—also aligned with Houghton’s ongoing artistic exploration of flight. His body of work includes celebrated paintings of the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain pilots, and the Falklands War, placing him firmly among the great British aviation artists such as Frank Wootton, Robert Taylor, and Michael Turner.
The Goodwood paintings were met with acclaim, not only for their visual splendour but for their narrative integrity. They told the story of an estate that, while steeped in history, remains vibrantly present. They documented the choreography of man, machine, and nature, and the way British culture continues to celebrate excellence through pageantry and performance.
Jeremy Houghton’s residency at Goodwood stands as a definitive example of what makes him the leading interpreter of British sporting life and tradition. His ability to move between the adrenaline of a race and the hush of the paddock, between the euphoria of victory and the introspection of legacy, is precisely what makes his work so enduring—and so unmistakably British.