Historic building to become "new home for art, ideas and learning"

The architect behind the Louvre's newest galleries and India's new National Museum in Delhi will transform Goodwood Art Foundation’s historic Hathill House into a new home for art, ideas and learning.

Goodwood Art Foundation has confirmed that internationally acclaimed architect and designer Kulapat Yantrasast, of WHY Architecture, has been appointed to transform Hathill House within the Foundation's 70-acre grounds. This is his first commission in the United Kingdom.

A spokesman said: “The project is much more than an addition to the arts destination, which opened to the public in May 2025. It will give Goodwood Art Foundation the power to broaden its purpose, with a new intimate setting where exhibitions, social programming and new forms of learning about art and nature meet.

“Built in 1975, Hathill House is a significant Modernist residence designed by F. Heather Hughes and John P. Lomax for the collector and developer Charles Kearley. It later became the home of the art patrons Wilfred and Jeannette Cass.

“The house was acquired in 2020 by the Goodwood estate, following Wilfred Cass’s death, as the first step towards the creation of the not-for-profit Goodwood Art Foundation. Its redevelopment marks a new chapter for the property, opening it up to the public for the first time. It will join the two existing galleries designed by Studio Downie Architects.

“Set within the changing landscape of the Foundation's 70-acre Schwarzman Gardens, the new Hathill House will bring art, architecture and nature into close conversation. The designs span two floors and include elegant spaces for exhibitions, talks, lectures and events, along with a comprehensive art library. Together these will create a lively centre for thinking and making throughout the year. The work draws on Kulapat's long experience of turning historic buildings into generous and vibrant public places for cultures and people.”

Kulapat Yantrasast said: “My first visit to Goodwood and Goodwood Art Foundation left an indelible impression. The place has a rare and singular quality. The sweeping landscape, the ancient flint walls, the wildflower meadows and the old woodland come together to make one of the most compelling settings for art within nature that I have found anywhere in the world. Goodwood's landscape changes with every season and becomes the great surrounding theatre, where the boundary between inside and outside disappears completely. I hope, at a time when people are looking again for meaning, connection and time outdoors, Hathill House will be a place to look closely, gather, learn and belong, as well as a place to see art. I am thrilled to join Goodwood Art Foundation at such a meaningful time in its story.”

The Duke of Richmond, founder and patron of Goodwood Art Foundation, said: “Goodwood is known for its history, landscape and enduring sense of place and has long offered opportunities to experience art within a setting of extraordinary natural beauty. The opening of Goodwood Art Foundation in 2025 took our commitment to the visual arts to a new level. Now the redevelopment of Hathill House represents an important next step, expanding our ability to present world-class art, grow our learning programmes, and create new spaces for dialogue, ideas and cultural exchange.

“I am thrilled to have launched this venture, which forms a vital part of Goodwood’s 21st-century legacy. These exciting development plans will help us continue building a cultural destination that celebrates creativity, fosters learning, and inspires generations to come.”