Isabella has lived, studied and worked in Oxford for much of her life. After school in Oxford she moved to undertake a degree in History of Art and Italian at University College London. Following careers in publishing and decorating, she settled in West Dorset where she took on the restoration of a Grade II -listed farmhouse. Over the years she has worked in a Sienese pasticceria, attended the University of Venice, written a best-seller on curtain-making, edited a catalogue with the Hermitage Museum, and raised two children. Now the Underhills are back in Oxford: Isabella and her journalist husband, William (who she met as an Oxford undergraduate), are both now members of the Oxford Guild of Guides. Her particular expertise lies in the history and culture of the city and university, but she’s also passionate about the houses, churches, and gardens of the surrounding area.