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Launched in 1935 and generally considered the archetypal Anglepoise®, the Original 1227™ pioneered our unique constant spring technology to deliver ultimate flexibility and perfect balance.
Today this timeless, classic design enjoys iconic design status. Our Original 1227™ Collection began with a desk lamp. Today, this highly adaptable and engagingly anthropomorphic light, is part of an exemplary collection designed for different locations, from table and wall to ceiling and floor. Each piece is available in our classic colours, and comes with toning fabric-covered cord and traditional chrome fittings. Our Original 1227™ Collection has always boasted unrivalled functionality; now it boasts unrivalled choice too.
George Carwardine
By 1932 Carwardine was ready to unveil his remarkable invention - a 4-spring lamp, combining unprecedented freedom of movement and perfect balance due to its patented constant spring mechanism. And soon demand for the lamp far outstripped Carwardine’s small-scale supply. So in 1934 Carwardine licensed the design to world-class spring maker, Herbert Terry & Sons, who already supplied the springs for his lamps. Not long after, the Anglepoise® name was registered and the 4-spring ‘Model 1208™’ went into volume production.
Carwardine maintained his association with Terry’s for the remainder of his life. He developed numerous variations on the original Anglepoise® design, including lamps for hospital operating theatres, and for navigator tables in military aircraft. But it’s the enduring Original 1227™ model that remains the archetypal Anglepoise® lamp, and with it, an iconic British design.
In 1932 automotive engineer George Carwardine develops a formula for a new type of spring. He discovers that pivoting arms supported by a sequence of these springs can be repositioned with the lightest touch yet will remain perfectly in place once released. Carwardine has just created the blueprint for an Anglepoise®.