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Trails
Christmas Gifts With Added Culture! The 2002 Museum Shop Trail
Richard Moss
With just a few days to go, the Christmas shopping frenzy is reaching a fever pitch. With all that tramping up and down the high street in search of that special something for that special someone, it's little wonder many of us end up tearing our hair out and then tearing up the credit card come the New Year.
With this in mind, the 24 Hour Museum is here to offer you an alternative to the High Street. Up and down the country are lots of interesting and different retail outlets - perfect for Christmas. What's more, they belong to some of the most interesting galleries, museums and heritage sites in the UK.
So if you're feeling frazzled and out of ideas, relax, all is not lost. There's still time to buy something interesting and innovative. Have a look at our trail and you'll discover some quality gift ideas that are both unique and original. The days of tea-towels and novelty pen tops are a thing of the past - make way for the new era of museum and gallery retail.
Books are always a mainstay for Christmas presents and museum and gallery shops are a great outlet for books - especially for art. If you are within striking distance of the capital the various gallery shops dotted around London offer the chance to peruse a selection of art books equal to anywhere in the world.
Both the Hayward and Serpentine Galleries have small but intelligently stocked art bookshops whilst the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery have bookshops that befit their reputations and collections.
By far the most comprehensive bookshop in the capital nestles within the Tate Modern. It's as close to a definitive art bookshop as you'll get and features everything from art theory, photography, fashion and architecture to super Christmas-friendly coffee table monographs.
While you are hopefully solving your gift problems, you can't but fail to take in Anish Kapoor's 150 metre-long, ten-storey high sculpture Marsyas. Make sure you grab this perfect opportunity to take a few moments out from the Christmas melee, and ponder Kapoor's astonishing installation in the Turbine Hall. Photo: Marcus Leith and Andrew Dunkley. © Tate Photography.
Tate Modern
Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG, England
Moving from art to fashion, you may know someone who would appreciate a little piece of Versace. Well don't worry, it doesen't have to cost you the earth. If you've a Posh or an Elton in your life get down to the V&A where, to tie in with the current Versace at the V & A exhibition, their trendy Versace designed appliqué T-shirts (pictured right) run in at a mere £29.95. Image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
It's no less than you would expect from the V&A, a museum with a habit of stocking their shop with items selected for design excellence and quality. Among the other great products on offer, they have a wonderful new range of ceramics, jewellery, and music and gift ideas that celebrate the opening of The British Galleries 1500 - 1900, and are inspired by the Tudor & Stuart, Georgian and Victorian periods.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2RL, England
Pallant House Gallery in Chichester is also keeping up its deserved reputation for bespoke merchandise and gifts. For just £30 you can still grab yourself a piece of art that will only accrue in value; they have a limited supply of the Peter Blake hand signed and numbered Bobby Rainbow prints that were such a hit last year.
This year's limited edition artwork is Frozen Sky by Langlands and Bell (pictured left). For £35 you can get something that represents 25 of the world's urban centres in an abstract constellation evoking the persistent transience of contemporary urban life. Or if you prefer - a rather nice watch. Image courtesy Pallant House Gallery.
Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TJ, West Sussex, England
If you have ever wandered through the never ending rooms of the British Museum and marvelled at the wonders on show in their hallowed halls? Well, the giftshop is not half bad either.
Crammed full of unusual gift ideas, here you can purchase objects that look as if they were plundered from an ancient tomb - but without a curse attached. So if you know a would-be Howard Carter with a penchant for all things Ancient Egyptian - perhaps a cat or a head of a Pharoah in the Christmas stocking will do the trick. They also have lots of other copies of antiquities, from the head of Aphrodite to the foot of Hermes, and all of them are moulded directly from their exhibits. Picture courtesy of The British Museum Company.
British Museum
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG, England
In a similar vein, the shop attached to the Bodleian Library in Oxford has some great gift ideas for Christmas. Their set of gargoyles, two for £23.95, are based on the originals set high on the Bodleian walls, whilst the Silence Please Grande Mug (£12.95) may evoke the atmosphere inside this venerable library - or at least quench the thirst of the most voracious tea guzzler.
Bodleian Library, Oxford
Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG, Oxfordshire, England
Moving further north, The Royal Armouries Shop at Leeds have taken a mighty sword swipe at the tea towel and bookmark image. Apart from a great collection of books, models and gifts, you can actually buy everything from medieval codpieces and masks to ornamental Samurai swords. (picture courtesy the Trustees of the Royal Armouries).
The latter will cost you between £35 and £300 (I'm told they even have the real McCoy for a cool £3,000) whilst a medieval helmet - either the 'pig-faced' variety or the 'knight's tale' style costs £110. Imagine his face when he opens that on Christmas morning.
For the smaller kids there's medieval dressing up clothes - perfect for that Lord of the Rings effect, featuring tunics made from leather, or reinforced cardboard helmets complete with visors and even wooden swords and axes.
Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds
Royal Armouries Museum, Armouries Drive, Leeds, LS10 1LT, Yorkshire, England
Back down to the smoke and you'll find London Transport Museum steadily building on its reputation for cool design-led pieces that are aesthetically pleasing without breaking the bank. Ever popular are their ceramics and tiles featuring abstract patterns inspired by the world famous Underground Tube map. Equally groovy are the unique range of glitter logo T-shirts sporting the underground logo. You can even order your local (or favourite) station.
A set of Angel (as in the underground station) kids underwear costs £9.99 for a full set of six pink knickers - perfect for that little angel in your life.
This year they are also offering genuine pieces of transport memorabilia in the form of old London Taxi Cab licence plates. Recently replaced by plastic ones, the old enamel beauties, complete with chips and wear and tear will set you back only £10.99 - not bad for a piece of London history. Picture courtesy of London's Transport Museum.
London Transport Museum
London Transport Museum, Covent Garden Piazza, London, WC2E 7BB, England
Nestling in the wild waters of the Irish Sea the Manx National Heritage Shop at Douglas on the Isle of Man takes inspiration from its collections for many of its gifts this Christmas.
Amongst the many exclusive items is a fine range of silver, amber and enamel jewellery inspired by Manx artist, and leading light of the English Art Nouveaux movement, Archibald Knox. At the turn of the century he designed for Liberty and his designs still look fresh and stylish today. Picture courtesy: Manx National Heritage Shop
Manx National Heritage
Manx Museum, Kingswood Grove, Douglas, IM1 3LY, Isle of Man
A little further over, in Belfast, Who What When Where Why (W5) is a cutting edge discovery centre that uses all the latest gallery techniques to unravel mysteries of science, technology and engineering. They also have an excellent shop crammed with equally innovative gift ideas.
Top seller is the Spy Mission Transmitter, a device that enables kids to listen to top-secret spy chatter on a pair of headphones. At only £2.75 it's a perfect stocking filler. There are also toys ranging from the executive hi-tech to the more traditional. Another favourite is the Vapour Blaster - a contraption that blows out up to one hundred cherry-centred vapour rings per minute for just £19.99.
W5 is packed full of gifts, gadgets and gizmos, so for voice changers, lateral-thinking puzzles or astronaut space blankets this is the place. Perfect for enquiring minds of all ages.
W5 at Odyssey
2 Queens Quay, Belfast, BT3 9QQ, Antrim, Northern Ireland
The National Museums of Scotland have really got their act together with a series of shops that pool the resources of some the nation's best museums. Forget shortbread and kilted dolls, these shops are dedicated to imaginative museum and art related products that have an emphasis on design quality and affordability.
They have a flagship store situated midway between the Royal Museum and the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh with other branches situated at the Museum of Flight, the Museum of Scottish Country Life, the National War Museum, the Museum of Costume and the Granton Centre.
This year's runaway favourite is the Lewis Chessmen, as featured (say this quietly) in the latest Harry Potter film. It's £195 for a full set, or £11.95 for a single piece. But you'll also find exclusive jewellery designed by Orkney craftswoman Ola Gorie, or Devore scarves and Thistle Sponge Wear from some of the best museums and designers in Scotland.
National Museums Scotland
Edinburgh, EH1 1JF, Lothian, Scotland
In Wales, the National Museums of Wales similarly pools the resources of some of the country's best and most innovative museums. The National Museum Gallery at Cardiff stocks the best in Welsh art, crockery and jewellery.
The Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans Castle, just four miles west of Cardiff, features a unique line of ironwork products and has a shop reserved solely for ceramics - many of the products featured are hand made by local suppliers.
The Welsh Slate Museum also has a range of exclusive crockery and plates made from the finest Welsh slate.
National Museums & Galleries of Wales
Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF1 3NP, Wales
At-Bristol features film, media, natural science and technology and is heaven-sent for anyone in search of something different and educational to give the kids this Christmas. Here you'll find a massive array of cool presents that may even get the kids away from the Xbox or Playstation 2...for half an hour or so.
Among the many wonders on offer is the potato clock - a digital clock powered by fruit, veg or pot plants. It demonstrates the principle of the battery power without any batteries being required. (£14.99)
But pehaps you're still in two minds - then the executive decision maker takes all the uncertainty out of life by answering your dilemmas for just £6.95. With your mind made up, you can then plump for Gallileo's thermometer, a faithful and working copy of the 17th century scientist's invention, it's perfect for house or garden and only £5.99.
For a more visceral effect the Blasteroid Rocket Launcher will fire air-powered rockets soaring to over 5 storeys high. It comes with 2 safe foam rockets and will set you back only £10.00. Newspaper eco-coasters, walkie-talkies (pictured right), hologram bubbles, kites, copters and toy missiles complete the picture and all are guaranteed to be educational and safe. Picture courtesy of At-Bristol
Explore-At-Bristol
Anchor Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5DB, England
Of course this is just a small selection of the goods on offer in museums, galleries and heritage sites across the UK. Hopefully we've whetted your apetite to go in search of gifts that are that are different and educational.
And if you are still stumped for ideas, there's probably a museum or gallery near you that holds the perfect answer.
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Information published here was believed to be correct at the time it was prepared. Welsh language pages developed with CYMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.