Goodwood lecture for good cause!
The Alton Maltings Centre was buzzing in anticipation of the latest Guest Lecture from Cardiac Rehab on Wednesday 4th May and the speaker, Rosemary Baird Andreae didn’t disappoint.
Rosemary is former curator of the Goodwood Collection and her knowledge of the history of Goodwood House and its owners, the Dukes of Richmond, was fascinating.
Goodwood today is synonymous with both horse and motor racing, and looking back, outdoor leisure pursuits have been a favourite of the family since the first Duke of Richmond bought the estate back in the 1600s.He founded the Charlton Hunt and had a lifelong love of horses and hunting, which may of his decedents continued.
We learned that the second Duke was the first British patron of Canaletto, a relationship that developed after the Duke’s ‘grand tour’ of Europe, and several paintings by the great artist are still in situ at Goodwood, having been painted for specific positions in the house.Later, the third Duke hosted Stubbs for several months whilst he painted scenes of horses and hunting about the estate.This patronage of the arts continues today, alongside the motor racing!
The history of Goodwood was peppered with scandal too: the first Duke was the illegitimate son of Charles II with French beauty Louise de Kéroualle and he went on subsequently to offer his son in marriage as a way of paying off gambling debts.
Rosemary’s talk gave a detailed overview of the extraordinary and engaging history of this house and family and was thoroughly enjoyed by all in the hall.
The event was raising funds for Cardiac Rehab, to help the charity support people improve their heart health, fitness and wellbeing, which is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the Cardiac Rehab Centre in Alton this year.
