Goodwood as a whole
contributes around
£245m to the UK
economy each year...
son Charlie inherits the estate he is in an
even stronger position than his father was
when he inherited.”
With so many competing demands
on his time and possible development
areas, Williamson has to keep focused
on the overall strategy. “It’s an unusual
methodology,” he admits. “The family
as a whole believes passionately it’s a
combination of all the things we do that
makes us special. The farm is just as
relevant as the Festival of Speed, in fact
more relevant in that it has been here for
300 years and will be here for ever if we
get it all right.
“You could argue that the Festival of
Speed is a moment in time. It is here
today. Will it be here in 300 years’ time?
Probably not, while the farm is much
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DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
more likely to be here. All of the traditional
elements of the estate are vitally
important and you have got to try and
enhance them while the cash is available.
We invest hard and fast in areas where
we know there is margin to be made but
then that margin is re-invested in areas we
consider to be vital in the long term.”
Goodwood as a whole contributes
around £245m to the UK economy each
year, a figure which clearly delights
Williamson. “We are very proud about that
because estates have, by tradition, been all
about their community,” he says. “It’s about
providing housing, jobs, food and so, in a
modern sense, we are continuing to take
that very seriously. A lot of the ways we
invest in the content of our events is done
through local communities. For instance,
Littlehampton Welding, a company down
on the south coast, has recently won an
international award for sculpture with the
work it has done for the Festival of Speed.
“Rolls Royce produces all of its cars for
the world on the estate after Lord March
persuaded them that being in England
was good for them. They associate with
Goodwood because they need to cement
in people’s mind that they are a perfectly
made English motor car and they bring
their customers here all the time to
demonstrate that.”
Williamson knows that the estate must
continue to innovate and highlights
three recent developments which he has
championed. A new restaurant – Farmer,
Butcher, Chef which makes the most
of the farm produce – is now open for
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