Dame Penelope Keith is a beloved actress, and British sitcom royalty, best known for her starring role as Margo in The Good Life. However, after shooting to stardom in the late 1970s, the To the Manor Born star has typically opted to keep out of the limelight, living a quiet, wholesome family life with her husband, Rodney, and their adopted sons. It is currently believed that the family-of-four splits their time between their two gorgeous homes. Scroll down to find out everything there is to know about The Good Life star's gorgeous countryside abode…
Where does Penelope Keith live?
The 70s' sitcom legend has lived in the 17th-century Mousehill Manor, in Milford, Surrey, since 1978, according to a report published in The Telegraph in 2002. Penelope has not frequently spoken about her home, but it is known that she shares it with her husband, Rodney Timpson, who is a former detective and later became the actress' manager, and their two adopted sons.
The family also owns a holiday home in Scotland, which they travel to and from "in a Bentley", according to a separate interview she conducted with the publication. Cosy, luxurious, and, most importantly, quiet!
Penelope Keith's old home she built from scratch
Penelope and Rodney built a house in the Lancashire village of Wycoller together in the early 1990s, which they initially loved so much that they did not want to let it go, preferring to rent it out rather than sell it, according to Daily Mail. At the time they built it, they had been living in a cottage next door, but wanted something bigger.
Penelope and Rodney sold the property in 2001. Beckside House, as it is called, was on the market again for £525,000 in 2016, the publication reported, and is built in a "traditional style". It's a three-bedroom house with a roomy, tiled-floored kitchen and diner with a separate dining room, also featuring extensive grounds that contain a large double garage.
Penelope Keith's hobby at home
The TV legend is actually quite green-fingered, having once described herself as "a gardener who acts", and she takes cuttings from her friends rather than spending any money on purchasing expensive plants of her own. She even has a rose named after her!
Penelope previously told The Lady: "Margo didn't like gardening, but I get my hands dirty; very dirty. I'm desperate for rain today, because we need it. If it doesn't rain, I'll cut back the lavender. I find gardening very relaxing. It's my passion. She even insists that making "homemade marmalade" from their produce is the secret to her happy marriage with Rodney.
Penelope's marriage to Rodney
Penelope and her husband met in 1976, while she was performing in a theatre in Chichester. At the time, Rodney was a twice-divorced policeman and was carrying out security checks for the play. Six months later, the pair had already tied the knot and soon adopted two young brothers, about whom Penelope does not speak publicly. Of her marriage to Rodney, the The Good Life star said in 2010: "We've been married 33 years, and they all said we wouldn't last. He likes looking after me and I enjoy that."