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Museum and the Whitworth shops: 10 gift ideas for under £20

13 Dec 2022

Struggling for unique gift ideas? Our gift shop retail teams have picked their top picks - all under £20

Candles from Old Man and Magpie

What's more, colleagues can get an exclusive 10% discount on all purchases.

For purchases from the Whitworth, you can get your discount either in the gallery shop or online.

As the Museum gift shop is currently closed, you'll need to place your orders online only - but the good news is, the team can deliver your orders to your desk on campus or can offer a 'click and collect' service. And you can have your items giftwrapped free too!

Top picks from the Whitworth

Explore our Althea McNish collection, inspired by the brand new exhibition featuring the renowned textile designer. Our favourites are the sumptuous A5 notebooks priced at £4 each or prints at £10.

British Colour Standard are the go-to brand for colour in the home for paint and interior accessories as well as championing eco, sustainable and Fair Trade products within their collections. Their brightly-coloured shopper bags, £20, are made from used cement sacks - carry your purchases in style!

If you know someone who loves crafts, the origami butterflies kit is a thoughtful, unique gift at £15.50. The beautifully-decorated sheets of paper can be made into 36 delicate paper butterflies. 

For children, there is the Amazing Recycling Projects book, £8.99. Have fun converting old cereal boxes and egg cartons into fabulous craft makes. From a robot to a snapping crocodile, children will love these exciting creations!

Back to interiors, the Musango Ceramics Collection will brighten any home. With espresso cups starting at £13.50, their products showcase good design, great functionality, fabulous quality, attention to detail and a sense of fun. 

Top picks from Manchester Museum

The Manchester Museum x Plewsy collection takes inspiration from the beautiful forms of overlooked, and perhaps even unloved wild florals. The delicate illustrations feature on a series of greetings cards, £3.50 each, and a particular favourite is the acorn leaves notebook, £12.

Scented candles are always a popular gift, and the bespoke herbarium candles from Lancashire-based Old Man and Magpie start at £15. The beautifully fragranced natural soy wax candles are made in a workshop in the heart of Lancashire.

Have you seen Murray, the Museum therapy dog around campus? Well, fans of everyone's favourite pooch can now buy a Murray keyring, £12. Hand crocheted from Peruvian cotton using traditional crochet techniques, the 'mini-Murrays' were designed and made exclusively by Just Trade for the Manchester Museum. Just Trade works in partnership with small Fair Trade projects across the world. 

For budding Egyptologists, how about the book Divine Creatures: Animals Mummies in Ancient Egypt, £18.95. A fascinating read, for the first time, a series of studies on the different types of animal mummies, the methods of mummification, and the animal cemeteries located at sites throughout Egypt are drawn together in a definitive volume.

And no Manchester Museum gift list would be complete without featuring the dinosaurs collection - our favourites are the knitted decorations or toys. Decorations are £8 and larger knitted toys start from £11. 

How to get your discount

At the shop in the Whitworth, you can present your staff card. For Whitworth and Museum online shopping: