I'm in zone 6b, clay soil, and have Claire Austin growing in a part sun (morning shaded) location. The deer ate the strongest cane she put up (second year rose), so her stems are a bit floppy, but she made it through winter unscathed. Very healthy matte light green foliage, pretty, fat creamy yellow buds and absolutely beautiful flowers with pink stamens (the stamens don't seem to be mentioned anywhere but I love the color). The buds take quite a while to form and open, and they shatter after a few days. The fragrance I find not as intoxicating as some of my other roses.. it's a bit dry and woody/lemony, but strong. I planted her slightly under the roof line and I have not had one incident of disease. The flowers are not numerous so far but she's a consistent if slow bloomer. I'm enjoying this rose so far!

This is has been growing in less than ideal conditions for 5 years. I have had to keep it in a pot. It has remained very healthy even through very cold winters. This last year I stripped the leaves in the spring due to blackspot and placed it in the shade because it was wilting in the heat. It grew beautifully in partial shade with awesome leaves and growth. The amount of bloom suffered, but I eventually moved it back into full sun and it put out a whole bunch of blooms. I think it really needs to be trained on an obelisk or something. I am planning to plant it in the ground next year, in the sun, and train it on something.
The fragrance is delicate and lovely.
The only thing I don't like about it is that the blooms shatter very quickly. I wish they stayed on the bush longer. Once the flower opens fully, I do not touch them or else they will fall apart.
Update- did not keep this bush because it blackspots too much and the blooms are not very rewarding because they shatter so quickly

Just informational David Austin Roses lists Claire Austin as zone 5-11.

This is my Claire Austin's second spring in the ground. It survived a very harsh winter with little dieback, even compared to roses like Princess Alexandra of Kent. It hasn't bloomed yet, but it has plenty of buds. I purchased it as a 3 gallon own-root rose in March 2013, and as of June 2014 it's 5 feet tall. I guess it's a tall rose?