Isabel Bannerman (born March 14, 1962) is a British garden designer and writer, known for her work in restoring historical gardens and creating new ones. Her portfolio features award-winning projects, including the gardens at Highgrove House, the private residence of King Charles III

Awards and honours

*1992 Europa Nostra Heritage Award for Waddesdon Manor *1993 Civic Trust Award for Waddesdon Manor *1994 Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show *1997

Royal Warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

awarded by the Prince of Wales *2007 Christie's Garden of the Year Award for Houghton Hall. *2008 Carpenters Guild Award for

Arundel Castle Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established during the reign of Edward the Confessor and completed by Roger de Montgomery. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War a ...

Collector Earl’s Garden

Career

After buying a semi derelict Wiltshire mansion called The Ivy and exploring their mutual passion for building restoration and garden design, Isabel and her husband

Julian Bannerman Julian Bannerman (born June 26, 1951) is a British designer of gardens and buildings known for his work on historical gardens in the UK including the restoration of the gardens at Highgrove House, the private residence of King Charles III. Awa ...

were invited to join a team building a modern grotto under British sculptor

Simon Verity Simon Verity (born 1945) is a British sculptor and master stonecarver. Much of his work has been garden sculpture. He has works in the private collections of King Charles III, Sir Elton John, and Lord Rothschild. Career Verity received his tra ...

at Leeds Castle. This led to their first major commission from Jacob Rothschild at Waddesdon Manor where they re-purposed the Dairy Buildings into an office and venue and restored the water and rock gardens at the Dairy. Their work on this project was highly acclaimed, receiving both Civic Trust and Europa Nostra awards. The Bannerman's founded their own garden design firm, I & J Bannerman Ltd. in1991, which has since become known for its garden designs. They were commissioned to design a

stumpery A stumpery is a garden feature similar to a rockery but made from parts of dead trees. This can take the form of whole stumps, logs, pieces of bark or even worked timber such as railway sleepers or floorboards. The pieces are arranged artistica ...

at Highgrove House by King Charles in the late 1990s. The Collector Earls Garden - Arundel Castle

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.

Simon Sainsbury Simon David Davan Sainsbury (1 March 1930 – 27 September 2006) was a British businessman, philanthropist and art collector. Early life Sainsbury was born in London,Woolbeding House Woolbeding House is an 18th-century country house in Woolbeding, near Midhurst, West Sussex, England. It is a Grade I listed building. It was probably built by Sir Richard Mill Bt between 1711 and 1760 and was originally of a quadrangular pla ...

in Sussex. John Robinson founder of Jigsaw later commissioned them in 2001 to design and develop the garden at Euridge Manor Farm in Wiltshire, where they also designed and built the modern medieval abbey where the garden is set. It is now a popular venue for weddings and events. The Bannermans were subsequently commissioned by the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk to create "The Collector Earl’s Garden" at

in Sussex. Another award-winning project was their restoration of the five-acre walled garden at Houghton Hall, owned by the Marquess of Cholmondeley. In 2010 the Bannermans completed the

Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden The Queen Elizabeth II September 11th Garden is located in Hanover Square in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City. It commemorates the Commonwealth victims of the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. It was o ...

, located in Hanover Square in the Financial District of New York City, after receiving an invitation to enter a competition to create the design. The garden commemorates the 67 British victims of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

attended the opening on July 6, 2010. The couple then moved on to Trematon Castle in 2012, leased from the

Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...

, where they created another garden that featured a medieval keep. The duo also designed the garden at Wormsley Park, Buckinghamshire for

John Paul Getty II Sir Paul Getty (; born Eugene Paul Getty; 7 September 1932 – 17 April 2003), known widely as John Paul Getty Jr., was a British philanthropist and book collector. He was the third of five sons born to J. Paul Getty (1892–1976), one of the ...

and have played a major role in redesigning the gardens of Dumfries House in Ayrshire. 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. Throughout the years of their career Isabel and Julian have been invited to participate as speakers in various gardening and literary festivals, including The Chalke Valley History Festival, The Garden Museum Literary Festival, Charleston Festival of the Garden, Dartington Hall Ways with Words and at the New York Botanical Garden.

Publications

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 then HRH Prince of Wales followed by Scent Magic: Notes from a Gardener (2019) and "Husbandry: Making Gardens with Mr. B" (2021). All three books were featured in The Sunday Times ‘Gardening Books of the Year’ list Isabel has shared her expertise on gardening and the sensory experience of smell through various channels. Her insightful writings and podcasts have graced publications such as The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, Gardens Illustrated, and House and Garden Magazine.

Personal life

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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bannerman, Isabel 1962 births Living people British writers British garden writers British gardeners