These identical twins have lived the same lives for an incredible 83 years – sharing jobs, holidays, clothes and playing pranks on friends.<br /><br />Margaret and Maureen Beckwith were born just five minutes apart on July 17, 1940 and have been inseparable ever since.<br /><br />The siblings went to the same school after failing the 11-plus exam and got jobs as machinists at a dress making factory aged 15.<br /><br />The mischievous pair regularly played pranks on their workmates by switching places at their machines to see if anyone noticed.<br /><br />Over the years they have never lived more than a few minutes away from each other and share clothes, holidays and even street names. <br /><br />Margaret, who is the oldest, lives on Queen Eleanor Road in Northampton while Maureen lives on the next street named Queen Eleanor Terrace.<br /><br />The twins say they often know when the other is not feeling well and regularly turn up to each other’s houses wearing identical outfits.<br /><br />Margaret was married to husband Richard – who also had an identical twin Roger – for 55 years before he died in 2017 aged 76.<br /><br />Maureen also married but divorced her late husband and now dotes on her five grandchildren, including 14-year twins William and Daniel.<br /><br />Margaret, who has six grown-up children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, said: “My sister and I have always been very close.<br /><br />“We both went to the same school because we weren't clever enough to pass the 11-plus but it didn’t matter as long as we were together.”<br /><br />After leaving school the sisters were both hired as machinists at Lincoln Models dress-making factory in Northampton.<br /><br />Margaret said: “We had the same hair style and wore the same glasses and clothes. People used to get us mixed up all the time.<br /><br />"I hated it because people used to stare.<br /><br />"Maureen’s even come down and knocked on my door, and I've looked and said, 'I shan't be a minute', and she's said, 'Where are you going?' <br /><br />"I said, 'To change my top because it's the same as the one you've got on'."<br /><br />The twins spend every day together and are members of the same keep fit club, history society and lunch club.<br /><br />Their twin telepathy also means they can tell when the other is feeling unwell.<br /><br />Maureen said: "She'll phone me up and say, 'How have you been today?', and I'll say, 'A bit iffy', and she'll say, 'I've not been very well', so she knew that I wasn't feeling 100 per cent because she wasn't.<br /><br />"We've always been the best of friends as well as sisters. When we were at school and at the dress making factory we'd often switch places to see if anyone noticed.<br /><br />"No one ever realised and we often pretended we were the other one - it kept us entertained.<br /><br />"Having a twin means you're never on your own and you always have a friend who knows you better than you know yourself sometimes."
