Collecting things can be great – but it certainly makes life complicated

A collection of ceramics is expected to make one couple more than £250,000. All my various collections have done is take up plenty of space, writes Janet Street-Porter

All my collection of ceramics has done is take up space (AFP via Getty)

If you suffer from the curse that is called “compulsive collecting”, everyday life can get complicated.  

Alison and Leonard Shurz – who lived in a modest three-bedroom house near Welwyn Garden City – were passionate collectors of beautiful ceramics by leading artists.  

Every single space in their home, every shelf and window sill, was crammed with 1,500 pots of the highest quality – so how on earth did they manage to move around and not break a single one? Their collection is to be sold next week and is expected to fetch more than £250,000.