Isabel Bannerman

• 1992 Europa Nostra Heritage Award for Waddesdon Manor[2]
• 1993 Civic Trust Award for Waddesdon Manor
• 1994 Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
• 1997 Royal Warrant awarded by the Prince of Wales[3]
• 2007 Christie's Garden of the Year Award for Houghton Hall.[4]
• 2008 Carpenters Guild Award for Arundel Castle Collector Earl’s Garden[5]
• In 2010 the Bannermans along with public garden designer Lynden Miller completed the Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden, located in Hanover Square in the Financial District of New York City.[6] It commemorates the 67 British victims of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Queen Elizabeth II attended the opening on July 6, 2010.[7]

In 1983 Isabel and her husband Julian Bannerman founded their own garden design firm, I & J Bannerman Ltd., which has since become known for its grand and romantic garden designs.

They were invited to design a modern grotto and hermitage at Leeds Castle in Kent in 1989 which led to their first major project with Jacob Rothschild, designing a water garden and grotto at Waddesdon Manor. Their work on this project was highly acclaimed, receiving both Civic Trust and Europa Nostra awards. Subsequently, they were commissioned to design a stumpery at Highgrove House by King Charles in the late 1990s.[8]

Another award-winning project was their restoration of the five-acre walled garden at Houghton Hall, owned by the Marquess of Cholmondeley.[9]

In 1993 the Bannermans sold the Ivy and relocated to Hanham Court. There, they restored the court and established a garden open to the public.[10] John Robinson founder of Jigsaw later commissioned them in 2001 to design and develop the garden at Euridge Manor Farm in Wiltshire, which is now a popular venue for weddings and events.[11] They were subsequently commissioned by the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk to create "The Collector Earl’s Garden” at Arundel Castle in Sussex[12]

The couple then moved on to Trematon Castle in 2012, leased from the Duchy of Cornwall, where they created another stunning garden that featured a medieval keep.[13] The duo also designed the garden at Wormsley Park, Buckinghamshire for John Paul Getty II and have played a major role in redesigning the gardens of Dumfries House in Ayrshire[14]

The Bannermans moved to Ashington Manor in Somerset in 2019, where they are renovating and enhancing the property with a newly established garden and orchards.[15]

Isabel Bannerman is also a published author, having co-written several books with her husband Julian, including "Landscape of Dreams: The Gardens of Isabel and Julian Bannerman" (2016) which features a foreword from the HRH Prince of Wales [16] followed by Scent Magic: Notes from a Gardener (2019)[17] and "Husbandry: Making Gardens with Mr. B" (2021).[18] All three books were featured in the Sunday Times ‘Gardening Books of the Year’ list [19][20]

Isabel grew up in London. She met Julian in Edinburgh, Scotland where she was studying history and history of art at Edinburgh University. They have lived in several historical properties throughout their career, including Hanham Court near Bristol, Trematon Castle in Cornwall, and Ashington Manor in Somerset.[15]