The good life by the shore
Making waves, a seaside home admired by a sitcom favourite
IN the world of the 1970s social climber, she was viewed as the Empress of Everest, the Queen of Kilimanjaro. Margo Leadbetter’s accent was not so much cut glass as clipped crystal and as a hostess she would like nothing better than to stab guests in the back with a cocktail stick at a suburban cheese and wine evening. While smiling.
But although her fiefdom was the leafy Surrey commuter town of Surbiton, The Good Life actress Penelope Keith later fetched up at a property viewing in the Highlands.
So what was Miss Keith, also the star of To The Manor Born, doing in Gillian Lee’s kitchen in the Black Isle?
Well, Miss Keith now spends much of her time there, sometimes helping her son run his bistro at Rosemarkie, near Fortrose.
‘It was quite funny,’ explains Mrs Lee, who is selling the family home Water’s Edge on the banks of the Moray Firth at Fortrose. ‘She came to look at the property with her husband. It was such a surreal experience.
‘Here’s this very funny lady, sitting in my kitchen while I normally see her on the telly.
‘She spoke just the way she did on TV but she wasn’t snooty in the slightest.’
In the end, Miss Keith did not make a bid for Water’s Edge but the mere fact she considered it endows the property with dollops of kudos in the one-upmanship stakes.
Not for nothing is it described by the selling agent as ‘one of the finest homes in the Highlands’. The property – 14 miles from Inverness – has been designed to take full advantage of its position overlooking a breathtaking stretch of water.
Almost all rooms have views of the Firth. Pull back the curtains on a Wednesday or a Saturday and you are likely to see members of the local sailing club taking part in races. Look closely and you might see dolphins swimming up to their playground at Chanonry Point.
Mrs Lee says: ‘We just love being by the sea. It’s a pleasure being able to walk through your garden to the pebble beach. I collect driftwood and sometimes find a place for it in the garden.’ The back garden is a nautical treasure trove, with shells, pebbles, fishermen’s creels and old rope all framed by beautiful and exotic plants. Ornamental fish hang from the walls of the downstairs porch and there’s a lifebelt fixed to the wall of the terrace. There are five bedrooms, all of them en suite. Two are let out for bed and breakfast visitors at certain times of the year. Downstairs, there’s a multitude of accommodation, including drawing room, family room, dining room, smaller dining area, study, library, kitchen and WC. A basement provides additional storage space and, true to form, the Lees use it to store their sailing gear. Mrs Lee says: ‘We want to be nearer to our daughter in Inverness. People will ask, “Why would you want to leave a place like this?” ‘I remember asking the same question of the lady who sold us the house. She replied, “It’s time to go”. I understand that now.’ Offers over £575,000 to Kevin Maley of Strutt & Parker, Inverness. Tel 01463 719171 or email kevin.maley@struttandparker.com