Crestworth Astro | Astro Mini | The Original Designs by Crestworth Ltd.

An early brochure showing the Astro & Astro Mini produced by Crestworth Ltd. Crestworth Ltd was formed in September of 1963 and Mr Walker who invented the lava lamp first launched the first design known as Astro, manufactured on West Quay Road in Poole. Over the years Mr Walker started releasing more derivatives of the Astro in beautiful designs. Edward Craven Walker founded Crestworth Ltd with offices in London and in Poole. This part of the website is designed to index these wonderful creations. Mr Walker's second design Astro Mini offered a more sleeker alternative. Enjoy the images below:

Crestworth Astro | The Evolution of the Astro Lamp over the vintage years ...

The Astro, evolved through the 60s and the 70s, this history has been sequenced. Below are some details on the various designs of the Crestworth Astro. After numberous prototypes and patents the Astro was released in 1963. The early Astro had liquid wax as apposed to solid wax and came in a copper anodised finish. Early designs of the Astro can be seen in the Cult TV Series: The Prisoner. The Astro progressed from using a liquid based formula to a solid based formula, which proved to have several advantages and was resistant to the shipping requirements. Astro was a model but also became a term to refer to the other pieces in the collection. Below is a list to assist you identifying your Astro lamp ...

First Design: The Beginning... Early First Generation Astros have a two part design, which features two cones that slip into one another, the power cable runs between them. They also feature an exposed green earth wire. Early Astros used wide-neck bottles and very thin caps. Thus they showed the level of the fluid when the lamp is switched off and the air gap at the top. People often think they are missing fluid but this is not the case.

Second Design. Second generation Astros also feature wide-neck bottles with a flatter style top which shows the level of the fluid. Also the second generation Astros feature a metal plate on the base which prevents you from touching the interior. The earth cable and power cable are go through this earth plate via a hole in the center of the plate.

Third Design. Third generation Astros have the same wideneck bottles. The base is a two part construction. The features two lines/ bands on the upper part of the base. The base is felted and often has four bubble feet.

Forth Design. The forth generation Astro, brought a slimmer style bottle. The base is nearly identical to the 3rd generation Astros and features the same 2 indentations/ lines/ bands on the top part of the base. Where this design differs to the 3rd, is that this design has 5 bubble feet which gives the base added stability. This base was also green felted on the underside.

Fifth design. The Fifth generation of the Astro, is the most commonly seen 1970s model, and uses standard Astro bottles. It was the first design to be mass manufactured in one part. The lamp has no earth and it was more inexpensive to produce. Having said this, it is still a beautiful piece. The immediate sign of the 5th Generation Astro is the bakelite black plate on the base, which features the Crestworth details on the underside.

Crestworth Astro | Astro Mini | The Early Colour Combinations ...

The images below show a rare scan from a vintage Crestworth advert. Describing the lamps as: Rising, Dancing, Twisting, Fascinating Fluidity, they offer a selection of wonderful jewel motion colours for everyone. A lava lamp is comprised of the lava liquids featuring masterfluid and a sold moving base (wax). In this rare brochure the colours stated are:

Masterfluid: Rose, Primrose, Clear, Yellow-Green and Blue-Green

Wax: Ruby, Topaz, Amber & Emerald

Looking back of the Astro Mini.

An image showing an advertisment for Crestworth's early Astro Mini. Simple Elegance Astro Mini. (Seen in the 1960s B/W Advertisment below) Astro Mini is a Crestworth Classic, which eventually became the Astrobaby. Astro Mini has a timeless shape and timeless elegance, which has made in an important piece in the history of the lava lamp.

The Early Astro Mini | Boxed and Mint seen below | Open Base Mini Design | Early Packaging

The Early 1960s Astro Mini had an open base design and featured shorter bases than the 1970's Crestworth Astro Mini. The early editions of the Astro Mini were open at the base and later editions featured a Crestworth Bakelite black base. The Astro Mini is the sleek copper lamp found to the right of the left picture below. One can also see the base and cap design of a late Astro Mini in the image below.

The images below show an early Astro Mini. There are several ways one can recognise an Early Astro Mini. If you turn the lamp base upside down. Never turn the lamp bottle upside down! You will see an open base which shows clearly the wiring of the lamp. The green cable is the earth cable that is attached to the screw you can see in the 4th image below. Also please not the Arco electric bubble style switch. The Astro Mini design is slightly shorter than the later Astro Minis making the lamp look a lot more stubby.

The Crestworth Icons | These are Originals | These are the icons | These lamps started the lava lamp range.

Over the years Crestworth created a range of stunning designs. From the Astro to the Astro Nordic to the Astro Lantern to the Astro Mini, there are designs for different people and different tastes. Crestworth also later launched other designs such as the Living Jewel featuring the Astro Nordic de luxe base and cap configuration and the Telstar range.

One can also see the Crestworth Astro Lantern. Astro Lantern products are extremely beautiful, rarely found with the original bottle they do look great with just about any kind of coloured bottle, but the Lantern seems to go great with all kinds of warm colours. Also current day Mathmos Astro bottles will also work with Crestworth's Astro Lantern.

Product lineup: Favoured for its Charm THE ORIGINAL "ASTRO": Perfect anywhere. Designed to suit any mood, any decor - in the home, office or public place. The "professional" extra for waiting rooms, halls and reception areas. Metal parts gleaming copper anodic finish. Please see below for the packaging. The box reads: The exotic conversation piece AN "ASTRO" LAMP by Crestworth Ltd. The model below is a 4th generation astro. 4th Generation Astros have two rings on the upper portion of the base.

TRADITIONAL BEAUTY "ASTRO LANTERN" - All the fascination of the old hurricane lamps - the comfort of a ships light in a storm. Authentic copper anodic finish. Two models were produced "Port" - Red and "Starboard" - Green Models.

The Crestworth Icons | These are the Originals | The Crestworth Astro Lantern

TRADITIONAL BEAUTY "ASTRO LANTERN" - All the fascination of the old hurricane lamps - the comfort of a ships light in a storm. Authentic copper anodic finish. Two models were produced "Port" - Red and "Starboard" - Green. Port consisted of Rose masterfluid and Ruby wax. Starboard consisted of Blue masterfluid and Topaz wax.

The Crestworth Icons | The Export Model | Cosmos

The images below show the Astro Nordic design that was designed by Crestworth and offered with Lava and glitter. The Nordic design features a beautiful cone base, where the whole lamp is elevated on the cone base which creates a stunning look and feel. These lamps were sold in copper and silver finishes.

Cosmos Design - A rare lamp design which was the first Crestworth lamp which used the "jet" type bottle and pre-dates the Astro Nordic design. It features a cyclindrical metal shape that houses a "jet" style bottle, the base design then forms a thin metal rod and wider base. The flex on this is the red/black and green colour code earth wire attached to the base via a screw. The design was also made in copper but it is very rarely seen.

These lamps are very elegant however they were designed for export markets. They are often seen in France, and also seen documented in a French Crestworth Brochure. Here are the colour combinations for the Cosmos, from an Early Crestworth French Brochure. They were featured in both slow moving Glitterlite and with lava.

Glitter Colours: Pink (Rose), Amber (Ambre), Blue (Bleu), Green (Vert).

Original French Export Lava Colours written in French: jaune-bleu, rouge-bleu, rouge-rose, rouge-jaune. Please note that the wax colour is listed first, then the liquid masterfluid follows.

Original Lava Colours translated in English: yellow-blue, red-blue, red-pink, red-yellow. Please note that the wax colour is listed first, then the liquid masterfluid follows. This is how the list is displayed in the brochure.

The Crestworth Icons | Astro Nordic & Glitterlite

An exampe of a Crestworth Nordic featuring the Glitterlite bottle. The Nordic is a stunning design with a beautiful base that looks great everywhere. It is absolutely stunning.

The Ever Popular Glitterlite: -Safe Small glitter floating slowing in coloured fluid.

Below one can see two examples of the Crestworth Glitterlite. The Glitterlite unlike the Crestworth Living Jewel lamps featured slow moving smaller glitter pieces in an array of beutiful coloured liquid. They are often seen in the Astro Nordic Enclosure, which as a very elegant enclosure. Unlike the living jewels which are fast moving and are solvent based, the Glitterlite is safe and non-solvent based, but features slower moving glitter.

Glitterlite bottles are identical to common day Mathmos Jet bottles. They will work in Jet bases and in all cylindrical Crestworth bases such as: the Nordic De-luxe base for example.

Distinctively Scandinavian "ASTRO NORDIC" A favourite in modern homes and in hotels clubs and executive suits. Tasteful colour combinations. All metal in up-to-the-minute silver or copper anodic finish. Particularly suitable for contemporary decor. The left image below, shows the lamps assembled. The right image below shows the base which stands on a cone. Max 40w is recommended in the base. Finished with a felted base. Thank you to Orbitz for the wonderful image below of his Crestworth Glitterlite.

The Crestworth Icons | Astro Nordic

The images below show the Astro Nordic design that was designed by Crestworth and offered with Lava and glitter. The Nordic design features a beautiful cone base, where the whole lamp is elevated on the cone base which creates a stunning look and feel. These lamps were sold in copper and silver finishes.

The Crestworth Icons | The Floor-Standing Designs | Princess | As seen in Mathmos 46 Vintage Exhibition

Designed to create a statement, Princess (as known by the collecting community) is the largest vintage Crestworth lamp, which is a showcase to the magic of the Astro liquids. Featuring a cylindrical container housed on a tripod styled base, this lamp makes a statement unlike no other and is a beautiful piece of vintage design. Princess is one of the most elusive Crestworth lamps and a stunning mysterious piece of Crestworth’s history.

The Cannon Timer - The Unique Non Electrical Crestworth Canon Timer. Crestworth produced a range of different non lava orientated products included: The Traction Lamp, The Cannon Timer and the Mistrolite. These can be seen in a part of the 1960s brochure, below. Further to this this opens the discussion, showing that Crestworth was a leader in kinetic lighting with original ideas and products, yet they ventured out of their main market which was Astro based. This page is dedicated to the Cannon Timer. This gold plated object is rather different to anything I have seen and shows that Crestworth was really thinking different. It is an excellent way to represent time in a kinetic motion representation. Very few of these objects still exist. Thank you kindly to Bohdan Rudy for his pictures and content regarding his Cannon Timer.

The Cannon Timer: can be seen in the image below. Thank you to Bohdan for the images below. Different images and angles of the Cannon Timer can be seen pictured below. The Canon Timer features a tube that contains two liquids that which don't mix, it is used to act as a reminder and as the liquids exchange locations they represent time passing. This product is a very beautiful and very fragile.

The Cannon Timer features movable wheels and the body of the product moves up and down. The bands also move so one can select a time frame to time. This model has only been seen with the clear/red colour combination. It is unknown the various colour combinations that this product featured.

With its elegant Gold Plated finish, here is the ideal ornamental telephone timer (or luxury egg timer) with a difference, its fascinating rising coloured oil action is just the thing for those who prefer an intriguing "gentle reminder" to tire-some split-second accuracy). The Cannon Timer is a very elegant yet fragile piece, the model above is original and very elegant. It is a non electrical item from Crestworth and probably the only non-electrical item in the entire Crestworth product lineup.

Crestworth on TV & Appearances | The Prisoner & Doctor Who.

Early Crestworth Astros can be seen in the Cult 60s British TV series, The Prisoner. Please see below for screen shots from episodes 1-17. Early Crestworth Astros have shallower caps, thus when the fluid hasn't expanded when the lamp is a cold state, it shows the level of fluid. This was later changed with wider neck bottles and a much deeper cap.