Great barrier reef natural history museum matches

This design has been inspired by the artworks featured within the publication The Great Barrier Reef of Australia by William Saville-Kent. Saville-Kent (1845-1908) was an English marine biologist and author who moved to Australia, where he set about collecting, drawing, and painting the remarkable corals of the great barrier reef, the biology of which were little understood at that time.

The Archivist journey began in 1998 down in the archives of the Natural History Museum and is an element of the past that they are incredibly proud to celebrate. In 2025, the Archivist pays hommage to this crucial part of their beginnings by releasing a range of matchbox designs that have been made in collaboration with the Natural History Museum.

The matchbox contains about 120 matches, each measuring 10 cm long. The Archivist matches are of high-quality & thoughtfully designed. These tinder sticks are joy to be held and use; one sturdy stick will light multiple candles or make a good hearty fire to the sauna. No fear of burning your fingers!

With the beautiful box the matches are a lovely gift to almost any occasion, from small tokens of love or appreciation to birthdays (pair them with some beautiful candles in the gift receiver's favourite colours!) to a courtesy gift when invited to a dinner party or a summer house stay. These matchboxes make a great substitute for wine bottles when you don't want to bring any alcohol and they're never useless clutter as they are consumables – but of the prettiest kind!

• About 120-125 matches 
• Match measuring 10 cm long
  
• Box 11 x 11 x 3 cm