In this issue

SPRING AWAKENING
Where to hear the sounds of the new season.

Just how clever are crows?
The sculptor’s language: what Annie Tempest did next
No-fuss plants: why shrubs are back
Turner’s Italy: how it influenced his British work

Under the Italian sun

Mary Miers considers how the country that fascinated J. M. W. Turner from youth shaped his artistic vision

5 mins

The sound of spring

Carla Passino follows chirruping birds, croaking frogs and rushing waterfalls to enjoy the new season across Europe

9 mins

Peer review

Two lords and one lady share their most enjoyable experiences abroad with Eleanor Doughty

5 mins

At home in the world

British artist Aimee del Valle reveals why she loves French village life

4 mins

Something to crow about

Clever, companionable and mischievous, the crow or corvid family of birds has long loomed large in our lives and imaginations, as symbols of death and crop destroyers. But, contends Simon Lester, they’re not all black-hearted scoundrels

10 mins

A hunting hall - Auckland Castle, Co Durham A property of The Auckland Project

After a major restoration programme and largescale archaeological investigation, this former palace of the Bishops of Durham has been re-opened to the public. John Goodall reports

8 mins

‘I have finally moved into song'

Best known as the creative force behind Dicky and Daffy, it was her son’s death that prompted Annie Tempest to learn ‘the grammar of the sculptor’s language’, discovers Ian Collins

5 mins

The designer's room

A distinctive wallpaper was the foundation for this drawing room of a London townhouse

1 min

A right royal home

Royal connections shaped the history of two country houses that are now on the market

6 mins

The girl with the golden touch

Shunning the discrimination between canvas and textiles, painter and fabric designer Althea McNish was a onewoman colour explosion who made the impossible possible, finds Ian Collins

5 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.