Margaret Pollock
Head Gardener
Bannockburn House is a special place and I hope that you, like me, will be enchanted by its magic
Margaret was born and raised in Bannockburn and currently lives in Stirling.
Like many local children growing up, she was fascinated by the mysterious Bannockburn House hidden among the trees and rhododendrons. Now she feels privileged to be part of the team that is restoring this ancient site.
Having worked in England for many years, she is delighted to be back home, working here as the Head Gardener.
Margaret trained as a garden designer at the Garden Design School in London and studied horticulture at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens. She has been awarded a Certificate of Merit from the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society for ‘her highly regarded and significant contribution to gardening in Scotland’.
Alan Buchan
Operations Manager
Alan leads the staff and volunteers in managing all aspects of the day to day running of the project.
Alan has lived in Bannockburn most of his life and has always had an interest in the history of the town, having learned about the Wilson and Sons tartan weavers from his grandad at a young age.
Growing up, Bannockburn House was an abstract thing, totally inaccessible to the people of Bannockburn. It is exciting to be part of a project to not only restore this A-listed historic house and the grounds, but to have it open and in use for the benefit of the people of Bannockburn.
Alan has a first-class honours degree in Heritage and Tourism, and studied a postgraduate diploma teaching qualification in further education.
I first became involved with the trust as a volunteer with the history group after finishing my degree. Soon after I signed up, I was hooked; not long after that I put myself forward to become a trustee, before finally applying for a staff position. The best bit about working for the trust are the people, we have a dedicated and passionate group of people who make it a great place to be.