10. Art and Nature

After education, art and nature were the two main themes in Mary Warnock’s writing and public life. Early in her life she was exposed to and developed a love for sacred music. Her interest in classical music derived from her older brother, Duncan and her teaching at Prior’s Field school. She herself played the flute and viola. Her encouragement of music at the OHSG has already been described. From 1973 to 1982, she was an articulate and forceful member of the Independent Broadcasting Authority. While she was a member, Channel Four and Breakfast TV were launched. In 1985, she gave a lecture on Social Responsibility and the Broadcasting Media. In 1988 she was interviewed on Desert Island Discs with a revealing set of choices of music. In 1991 she chaired an Arts Council working party on the finances and management of the Royal Opera House which published a controversial report. In 2000, she co-edited with the artist Mark Wallinger a book called Art for All?, which considered the role of government support for the arts.

Mary’s love of nature was instilled into her by her nanny in her early years. In her teens, she loved horse-riding. From 1978 to 1982 she was a member and then chair of the Home Office Committee on Animal Experimentation. She wrote against those, such as Peter Singer, who attacked ‘speciesism’, the assumption of human superiority, leading to the exploitation of other animals. From 1979 to 1986 she was a member of the Standing Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. She found this a highly enjoyable experience but felt she had little impact on its deliberations. However, her membership of the commission stimulated her interest in philosophical perspectives on environmental issues. In Critical Reflections on Ownership (2015), she discussed the degree to which possessive pride brings a sense of responsibility towards the environment. Throughout her life she had a great love of gardens, both public and her own. In 2015, she was interviewed for the radio programme Fantasy Festival and created her own Glastonbury on Tanera Mor, an uninhabited island off the West Coast of Scotland, revealing once again her attachment to the Romantic poets.