The Early Years | The Origins & Legacy of the Lava Lamp | It always starts with the Astro lamp Please see slide below.

The Astro lamp is a phenomenal product of innovation being within the realm of art as it presents its dazzling sculptural organic light forms, yet being a technical achievement to bring to market. This intersection and balance of art and technology that was poured into the Astro lamp creates a wonderful fusion that is distinctively unique within lighting. This early Crestworth advert showcases where Astro and Astro Mini would be perfect and would fit into day to day life. The advert displays the lamps in various scenarios such as: in the home, in the bar, in the waiting room and in the restaurant or night-club.

Astro was designed to be special, the creativity, engineering, talent and mind that went into it created an object so distinctive. Take a look into the Astro lamp and you will see why it is the perfect definition of its era and the genius of the its inventor Edward Craven Walker. Astro was the first of Crestworth's products that was designed from the perspective to not just illuminate but to be kinetic, ambient and entertaining, a philosophy that would be shared with the future at Crestworth. In many ways the Astro was the first kinetic ambient piece of lighting for the home. Astro became so successful that it developed into a range at Crestworth, with a multitude of different designs. Crestworth's lighting was a revolution on all facets, unlike other lighting of the time that was designed to be purely functional their pieces were designed to be specifically light entertainment.

This advert describes the Astro lamp as: "The exotic new conversation piece styled to fit any mood any decor in the home and all discerning establishments"

The Crestworth "Astro" Lamp | The Original | The Classic | The World's First Lava Lamp Please see slide below.

Perhaps the most distinctive light of the 1960s and the 1970s, the Astro lamp is an icon of its time and a great British invention. Defining its era with its free flow, Astro shattered people's conceptions of what a light could do or visually be perceived as, ambient and organic, the Astro presents visuals like no other lamp.

First launched in 1963, the Astro lamp is the world's first lava lamp and was pioneered and invented by Edward Craven Walker who sold and marketed the lamp from his Crestworth Ltd company. Further to this the Astro has stood the test of time.

With its iconic shape and distinctive styling, the Astro looks like no other light, however the lamp comes to life and reveals its focal point when switched on, illuminating the contents within the glass bottle. The lamp comes to life and the showcase of fluidity is displayed. Astro presents a view into a window of organic shapes constantly changing and evolving and being distinctively different every time it is switched on. Astro went on to become a world defining class of classic products at Crestworth, with designs such as Astro Mini, Astro Nordic and Astro Lantern.

Over the years Astro was the pride of the lamp's inventor Edward Craven Walker. We here at www.flowoflava.com are proud of the history of the genuine British lava lamp, the culture, the legacy and the innovation over the years.

The Astro lamp is an eternal classic, rooted in 1960s & 1970s culture but also transportable to future decades, we look forward to seeing it in the future. Below one can see a very early example of an Astro lamp by Crestworth with an early shallow cap design.

A Very Early Vintage Astro Lamp | Crestworth Lava Lamp Refill Order form Please see slide below.

Below one can see a very early Crestworth Astro, these design is a very early example of the Astro lamp developed by Crestworth Ltd and below one can see a digital scan of a refill form for Crestworth range. The form displays refill options for the Astro Lantern, Astro (both using the same Astro bottle), Astro Nordic and the sleek Astro Mini lava lamps with a small questionnaire regarding the use of the lava lamp.

Crestworth Astro Mini | The Second Design | Mini but still all the fun Please see slide below.

Crestworth's second design: Astro Mini took the magic of Astro and presented it in a sleeker version, and created a second classic. This early boxed Astro Mini shows the early packaging and an early edition with the open base design showing the visible wiring.

Later editions had a black plastic insert into the base, which concealed the wiring. I wonder if Crestworth knew how important their work would be in the future and the future legacy of the lamps. Astro Mini still keeps its timeless lines and is known as Astrobaby today.

Crestworth Ltd | Cosmos | Crestworth Elegance Please see slide below.

One of the many genii of Edward Craven Walker was the development of the Astro liquids, where the base contents would sculpturally flow within the masterfluid encased in the glass bottle, to produce the stunning mysterious organic shapes.

The original first design known as Astro is a classic, however Crestworth also developed many other derivatives of the Astro lamp such as the Astro Nordic. Nordic features tubular bottles and a graceful base elevated on a cone stand, that creates a stunning design. In fact this is one of www.lightoflava.com's most favourite lava lamps of all time.

Crestworth Ltd | Glitterlite Astro Nordic & Telstar featuring Amber Leaves Glitterlite Please see slide below.

One of the many genii of Edward Craven Walker was the development of the Astro liquids, where the base would sculpturally flow within the masterfluid encased in the glass bottle.

The original first design known as Astro is a classic, however Crestworth also developed many other derivatives and designs using glitter to produce beautiful visual effects. This Nordic design (please see images below) features tubular bottles and a graceful base elevated on a cone stand, that creates a stunning design. The model below features Crestworth's Glitterlite formulation. One can also see the Telstar design which features a flared base. Telstar just like Astro Nordic was offered in both silver and copper finishes for a stunning effect. Furthermore Telstar was Crestworth's entry level lava lamp and offered in three liquid forms: Bubble, Fast Moving Glitter and Slow Moving Glitter.

Crestworth Excellence | Vintage Wall Mounted Design Please see slide below.

Crestworth's vintage wall mounted lamp design featuring the Nordic bottle is one of the most beautiful products in the history of the Astro lamp. This stunning piece is a true showcase of the wonderful design at Crestworth and the workmanship that was poured into their pieces. This wonderful design also featured the ability to provide a backlight to the piece which could be turned on or off as desired. This vintage glitter lamp piece is signature Crestworth at its very best.

Crestworth Vintage Excellence | The Princess Floor Standing Design Please see slide below.

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. Below one can see the Princess at Mathmos' Heritage Vintage Lava Lamp Exhibition, held in 2009.

Crestworth Excellence | Doctor Who Vintage lava lamps on TV Please see slide below.

Custom Crestworth lava lamps added the ultimate set prop for vintage Doctor Who that was shown on the BBC in the 1960s. Please note in the images below the stunning array of floor standing gigantic lamps that are so in keeping with Doctor Who's space theme. Crestworth's creations, featured extensively in many broadcasts of the time. A stunning piece of Crestworth's legacy and the history of all things Astro.

Crestworth Excellence | The Prisoner | Vintage lava lamps on TV Please see slide below.

Crestworth's iconic Astro featured in other broadcasts such as The Prisoner which can be seen below. Other custom Crestworth creations, including a two tier piece were also featured within the series, however Crestworth's Astro lamp models can be seen extensively in multiple episodes. These photos are tribute to an iconic cult TV series and the lamp that started it all. Crestworth's lamps have also been seen in other TV programmes such as Queenie's Castle.