www.thelightsfantastic.com | Crestworth Ltd | Crestworth Traction Lamp Please see slide below.

Whilst Crestworth was world renowned for their Astro lava lamp range, Crestworth also ventured into other lighting with products such as the Crestworth Traction lamp. Crestworth's Traction lamp offered all the romance of the age of steam captured in a lantern product for a unique product. Switch on the Traction lamp and the inside will illuminate and the model steam engine will start to operate and the wheels will turn. Below one can see a vintage Traction lamp and brochure material.

www.flowoflava.com | Crestworth Twiggy | Strike A Pose Please see slide below.

Twiggy is described as "THE SENSATIONAL ALL-PURPOSE LAMP" in a vintage Crestworth Brochure. Think of any situation where a flexible all purpose lamp could be used, then think of Twiggy. Twiggy is one of the rarest Crestworth lamps and is often forgotten. Very few have ever been seen. A copper version and a silver coloured version have been seen. Flocked examples have been seen in the various colours: Green, Orange, Grey and Pink.

Twiggy is essentially an all purpose lamp with extreme functionality as you can keep on constantly changing the position and the form of the lamp by adjusting it. Recently a Crestworth Twiggy surfaced for sale from the owners of the legendary retro store Flying Duck that traded in London UK. Thank you to Carolyn for the images below and friendship. The images below show Twiggy in a selection of different poses. Strike a pose.

"A little known lamp was "The Twiggy Lamp." Made of 1/4'" alloy pipe, standing 18" high. The top 2" bent at 90 degrees & a bell shaped housing to fit a small 240v bulb. ½ way down the stem was a coil of the same pipe wrapped 3 times around the main stem with a plastic insert to allow it to slide. The 2 legs protruding enough to make a stable tripod. The cable went through the piping & each foot had a rubber bulb." - Quote by Clive Wheeler - Crestworth 1970s Employee.

Crestworth Ltd | Aromalite Aroma Lamp Please see slide below.

Whilst Crestworth is world renowned for their Astro lamp range, Crestworth also ventured into other lighting with products such as Mistrolite, Twiggy and Aromalite. Aromalite is an interesting extension of Crestworth's product range and showcases the perspective that Crestworth approached lighting from.

Lamp designs were not created purely to illuminate but to also produce effects or perform a second function. Aromalite illuminates but the heat from the bulb heats up the fragrance pads and activates the lamp's purpose. Today, fragrance oils can be placed onto cotton pads and then placed on the top of the Aromalite. The top of the lamp features a well where pads can be placed and the top has a cover that hides the pads and allows for the fragrance to be released. A perfect example of Aromalite can be seen in this graphic below.

www.thelightsfantastic.com | Crestworth Vintage 1974 Light Show Ticket courtesy of Crestworth Please see slide below.

Just like other lighting companies, Crestworth exhibited at a wide range of tradeshows and events, showcasing their amazing decorative lights. Below one can see a 1974 Light Show ticket in a beautiful orange colour for the 1974 Light Show held at Earls Court in London. The ticket is actually courtesy of Crestworth and was most likely sent out to prospective customers.

www.thelightsfantastic.com | Mathmos in the 1990s | The Second Era of the Lava Lamp Please see slide below.

The 1990s was a time of reinvention and rebirth for the lava lamp. Cressida Granger & David Mulley approached Edward Craven Walker, the inventor of the lava lamp and took over the running of the Crestworth company. The second era saw Crestworth transition to being known as Mathmos, and relaunched the original lamps to create a second era of success. Crestworth became known as Mathmos, named after the bubbling force in the cult 1960s sci-fi film, Barbarella.

The 1990s saw previous designs comeback and new designs such as Telstar and Lunar rocket shaped lava lamps. Mathmos also introduced other lighting concepts such as an aromatherapy lamp known as Sputnik and beautiful fibre optic lamps such as Jupiter 2. Sputnik featured a space age design like so much of Mathmos' items, was offered in three anodised colours and is a charming rare Mathmos product to find today. Jupiter 2 featured the optics cleverly placed under a polymer dome to protect the fibres and extend their life. Jupiter 2 is perhaps one of the best fibre optic lamps of its era and a reflection of the earlier Crestworth's Galaxy product. Other non-lava products include the Faze series of colour changing lamps.

The Lunar lava lamp was priced at the high end of the market, and was the ultimate mainstream lamp of the 1990s with an rocket inspired form. Lunar also has a smaller sister product known as Telstar, a table top design originally introduced in a wide range of beautiful anodised colours. In the early 1990s two new Rocket designs were launched by Mathmos. Lunar was designed around bottles seen in alcoholic beverages and beautiful polished bases and caps. Lunar became a cult Mathmos product and a stunning piece of Mathmos' history and legacy. Lunar's form was draws inspiration from the rockets seen in Tintin comics Today, Lunar is one of Mathmos' most desired products and is a tribute to the 1990s and the success of the era.

Many of Mathmos' products were inspired by Crestworth's creations. Astro was modernised with a silver finish, Astro Mini became Comet and then the wildly popular Astro Baby. The Nordic design would also become the Mathmos Jet. Over the 1990s, Mathmos became a powerhouse of ambient kinetic lighting. Below one can see a range of fun 1990s Mathmos brochure images which define the 1990s perfectly.

www.thelightsfantastic.com | Mathmos in the 1990s | Other Non-lava products Please see slide below.

Mathmos also introduced other lighting concepts such as aromatherapy lamps such as Sputnik and beautiful fibre optic lamps such as Jupiter 2. Sputnik featured a space age design like so much of Mathmos' items and was offered in three anodised colours and is a charming rare Mathmos product to find today. Jupiter 2 featured the optics cleverly placed under a polymer dome to protect the fibres and extend their life. Jupiter 2 is perhaps one of the best fibre optic lamps of its era and a reflection of the earlier Crestworth's Galaxy product. Please see: Sputnik & Jupiter 2 below.

www.thelightsfantastic.com | The Mathmos Faze Story | Mathmos Faze 1, 2 & 3 Please see slide below.

Mathmos Faze 1- In the 1990s Mathmos developed a series of colour changing lights under the name of Faze. Faze 1 was the first design comprising of a semi-spherical base with a bubble shade formed from plastic strips that sit on a pole about the lamp. Simply switch on the lamp and watch it faze between colours.

Mathmos Faze 2- Faze 2.1 (Red - Blue) & Faze 2.2 (Yellow - Red) Tubular - The second generation of Faze features a tubular design replacing the earlier design. This design was part of a stunning display at Mathmos' Drury Lane Showroom Window in the 1990s. (Seen Below)

Mathmos Faze 3- Mathmos' Faze 3 was the last of the Faze series created by Mathmos. In many ways the Faze series was the pre-runner for Mathmos' popular LED colour changing lamps of the 2000s. Mathmos' Faze started in the 1990s and continued well into the 2000s.
Faze 3 was a high end luxury lamp designed by Mathmos and targeted in the same price range as other high end products such as Lunar. Faze 3 was floor-standing by design, and had the essential form of a pyramid. Faze 3 can be seen below.

Faze 3 had the ability to colour change at different speeds and to react to sound. Faze 3 also shipped with a remote, circular in form and resembling the Mathmos M logo. The lamp could be controlled from a distance with this simple remote, that changes the mode of the lamp. With a metal base containing 3 lamps covered with coloured gels and topped with a polymer shade, Faze 3 was a lamp that created a statement. Mathmos' Faze 3 succeeded Faze 2 which was a tubular design and smaller in height. Faze 3 like Faze 1 & 2 utilised light bulbs to create the faze effect. Faze 3 is particularly stunning in the dark where the lamp looks like a pyramid of beautiful luminous colour and distinctive ambience.