In 1990 Lord Rothschild asked Julian and Isabel to lunch to look at some Pulhamite Caves and Rock Garden, made in the late 19th century for the Rothschilds at Waddesdon Manor, Bucks. Their reputation as grotto builders had brought them to his attention and he asked them to produce and cost a scheme for the restoration of this part of the garden, derelict for more than half a century, in competition with his own Landscape firm at Clifton Nurseries. Hungry and determined the Bannermans spent almost all of the next four years at Waddesdon, not only restoring the Dairy Water Garden to a state of romantic splendour, but also designing and overseeing the conversion of the Dairy buildings beside it into a venue where Lord Rothschild’s immediate staff could work and conferences and events could be held with full catering and high-tech facilities. It was a remarkably brave step on Lord Rothschild’s part to appoint these new-comers in preference to Ron Heron and his ‘Imagination’ team of architects, but it paid off with multiple awards and a quality building which still works effectively and aesthetically in many varied modes. For the Bannermans it was a trial by fire, the most challenging and exciting few years, during which they also re-created part of the rock garden at the Chelsea Flower show, their first, and won the highest honour possible at the time, a Silver-gilt medal – Gold medals never then being awarded to first time entrants.