At the family estate, Blagdon Hall, he designed and built his own car to challenge the speed records for Class H vehicles (501 – 750cc).
[1] He was badly injured in an accident at Brooklands at the end of the 1931 season, when his car reportedly reached a speed of 112 mph.
[2] In business, he also served as chairman of the Consett Iron Works, director of the Moor Line steamship company, and a member of the board of Lloyds Bank.
[1] Ridley was active in the Territorial Army, serving as an officer in the Northumberland Yeomanry and as the Honorary Colonel of the Tyne Electrical Engineers.
[1] Viscount Ridley was invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1938 New Year Honours for "public services in Durham and Tyneside".