71 the Pound / Dollar currency exchange was nearly 2:1 . Also there were quite a few affordable Warhols available . My first purchase was a Moonwalk , because the 1969 moon landing was such an inspirational event for any young boy . It cost £ 15,000 and was the most I ’ d spent , but I never regretted it . Sadly I sold it in a panic at the start of the Covid pandemic when I wasn ’ t taking a salary as a Partner . That ’ s the only ( well probably not the only ) problem of collecting art - if you aren ’ t disciplined in retaining cash in the bank . I guess I ’ d rather have something nice to look at . At least I ’ m not into fancy cars or clothes and watches .
St John at Hampstead
SP Is it deeper than having something to look at ? CW It is for me . Yes . I think when people visit the gallery for example , they will understand . There will be a permanent exhibition which explores our relationship with religion , with celebrity and with each other . It will invite the visitor to think and examine how we treat each other and why . There will be temporary exhibitions by local and international artists , but fitting the same theme . I have been planting trees outside the church and I have met several neighbours stopping to chat and they have been both curious and supportive . Some of them paint and I ’ d like to offer them space and encouragement .
SP So is it important that it is housed in a former church ? CW Not particularly but I ’ m thrilled that it has worked out that way . As I said I started looking for an industrial unit but nothing was quite right and I stopped looking during Covid as it seemed irrelevant . I did some volunteering at the vaccination centres and for a while what we were all going through seemed pretty grim . The pandemic convinced me that Ilkeston was the right place to achieve my objectives . On Christmas Day last year I started looking again , opened up my laptop , and the first property I saw was this amazing redundant church .
Below : Church interior which will be the home to Ilkeston Contemporary Arts
SP Are you religious ? CW Great question ! The short answer is no . But the longer answer is complicated . I don ’ t want this to be a therapy session but … my parents were . My Dad died when I was three and my mum wanted my brother and I to sing with her in the church choir as my Dad had done . So from the age of six to sixteen I went to church three times every Sunday . My Uncle Cedric was a lay preacher and I loved the emotion he evoked - he used to use his hands and arms expressively - he was an incredibly passionate orator . I still love the stories from the Bible . I love hymns and choral music and have a great admiration for anyone who does have that faith . I heard the Bishop of London say , “ The opposite of faith isn ’ t doubt . The opposite of faith is certainty ”. I believe with certainty in the teachings of Jesus as I do those of Mohammed and Buddah . The world ’ s great religions share many similar teachings .