In this issue

Marie Soliman’s favourite painting
The interior designer selects a dynamic, attention-grabbing painting where less is more.

The sweetest thing
U2’s Adam Clayton is restoring colour to the gardens at Dublin’s Danesmoate, finds Jane Power..

Cradle of the Arts

From Paris to the Balearics, Holly Black traces the footsteps of Picasso and Miró

5 mins

Land of opera and glory

From the small village of Le Roncole to the bustling metropolis of Milan, Claire Jackson explores Verdi’s Italy

5 mins

Old McDubois had a farm

Harry Pearson explores the indigenous breeds of France and explains why they are worthy of English envy

6 mins

The sweetest thing

The garden at Danesmoate, Dublin, Ireland The home of Mr Adam Clayton Taking on a historic estate with 17 acres of gardens and landscape at the age of 28 is no mean feat, but Adam Clayton had the vision to plant thousands of trees and shrubs, restoring vistas and bringing back life and colour to this beautiful river valley, writes Jane Powers

4 mins

Blossoming ideas

There's crab-apple jelly, of course, but ornamental apple trees offer so much more: they're easy to grow, have beautiful flowers that last longer than those on Japanese cherries and there's one to suit every garden, says Charles Quest-Ritson

3 mins

Reforming splendour

The Reform Club, Pall Mall SW1 An attempt to unify the Radical and Whig interests as a coherent political force prompted work to what aimed to be the most magnificent club in London, as John Goodall discovers

8 mins

Holey moley!

Fêted in literature and as reviled in myth as it can sometimes be in real life, the mole is the mammal equivalent of Marmite, says Harry Pearson, as he tunnels into the subterranean world of the 'gentleman in velvet'

5 mins

More tea, vicar?

Old rectories and vicarages hold an enduring appeal for country-house buyers

5 mins

The woman who had it all

A rare female presence in an art world dominated by men, Berthe Morisot could have faced solitude or even catastrophe, but rose to become one of France's leading Impressionists, as Caroline Bugler discovers

6 mins

A prince of painters

Cosmopolitan, enigmatic and passionate about early Italian Masters, Frederic, Lord Leighton, shaped 19th-century British art and should be better remembered for his technically excellent, opulent work, laments Jack Watkins

4 mins

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Country Life UK Magazine Description:

Country Life; architecture, gardens, countryside, property, the very best of British life Published by IPC Media. Country Life, the quintessential English magazine, is undoubtedly one of the biggest and instantly recognisable brands in the UK today. It has a unique core mix of contemporary country-related editorial and top end property advertising. Editorially, the magazine comments in-depth on a wide variety of subjects, such as architecture, the arts, gardens and gardening, travel, the countryside, field-sports and wildlife. With renowned columnists and superb photography Country Life delivers the very best of British life every week.