Much more than a pair of couch potatoes
With almost a quarter of a million followers on Facebook – and a Gogglebox audience approaching 4 million – it is hard to imagine life before fame and notoriety for Dom and Steph Parker.
Not that the couple ever lived quietly...
Heir to the Parker Steel family fortune and living in a £4m stately pile, the pair had long enjoyed the champagne lifestyle for which they have now become nationally renowned. But it didn’t come without hard work. Having purchased The Salutation - a Grade I listed Lutyens-
designed Edwardian manor house - 10 years ago, the couple were faced with a gargantuan task of not merely restoring it to its former glory, but actually making it a going concern. The 3.5-acre site, off Knightrider Street, in Sandwich, was
lost to a wilderness until the successful restoration and re- planting programme, masterminded by head gardener Steve Edney. Steph’s natural flair for design and eye for
detail and Dom’s desire to restore the Gertrude Jekyll gardens proved a winning combination, however, and The Salutation was soon one of the most sought-after locations in the area – particularly popular with visitors to the famous Royal St George’s Golf Club nearby. The couple have played host to a motley
crew of celebrities – long before they acquired the honorary title themselves – with the likes of Hugh Grant, Meryl Streep and James Corden booking in for B&B during filming on location. Guests nowadays expect to spend an evening with their
hosts, quaffing the port and champagne from their permanently well-stocked bar - and they generally aren’t
4 Mid Kent Living
disappointed, finding Dom and Steph the same convivial couple they appear to be on TV. Indeed, it was the Parkers’ ample generosity – of their time and spirit, as well as their home
– which first brought them to the attention of the viewing public.
A slot on C4’s Four in a Bed series, in which guest house
owners compete for the top title, saw them score top marks for quality – even though their property was the priciest by far. But life for the Parkers hasn’t been all plain sailing and
watching TV. The couple spent a small fortune on re-creating the spectacular gardens, only to see them disappear under a deluge from the River Stour during the floods of Christmas 2013. The lower garden, including Dom’s favourite vegetable corner, was awash and the three gardeners spent the following day wading thigh-deep to recover more than 2,000 plants, including a rare Wollemi pine. They worked half the night all weekend, until
grass was visible and the borders drained, returning 5 million litres of water to the Stour. The couple did put the house on the market shortly afterwards, but the surge in interest
following their new-found fame – not to mention the surge in income for their various TV appearances – means they have now decided to stay. While they aren’t saying just how much, Gogglebox provides the pair with a “satisfactory” income and the chance to enjoy what they do best – chat, drink and entertain.
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