Biography of Edward Craven Walker

inventor of the lava lamp

Few know his name – but almost everyone has experienced the meditative and contemplative play of forms offered by a lava lamp. Edward Craven Walker is its inventor, and the idea came to him in the late 1950s/early 1960s in an unusual place. His unique life story is reflected in a fascinating way in his iconic lava lamps. Walker's life offers a unique blend of adventure, inventiveness, and cultural influences. TAGWERC Learn what led to the birth of one of the most famous symbols of the 1960s.

From war pilot to pioneer

Edward Craven Walker, born on July 4, 1918, in Singapore, a former British colony, flew unarmed reconnaissance missions over Germany in a de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito during World War II and took photographs for the Allies. While still at a British airbase, Walker met a woman at which he would become his first wife. Marjorie Bevan Jones volunteered with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and kept a diary during this time, which was published in 2005 under the title 'Pieces of Cake: The Diary of a Wartime WAAF 1940-1942'.

The beginning and end of a passion

After the war, Craven initially continued working as a pilot. Privately, he was a passionate nudist and eventually opened a naturist campsite in Matchams, Hampshire, England. His passion for nudity was evidently shared by many, as the campsite became one of the largest in England. His wife, Marjorie, however, was less enthusiastic. Despite having three children together, the couple separated.

Fillings and shapes

One evening after work, Craven visited a pub in New Forest, a small town in southern England. There he discovered a kind of machine, made by a patron, consisting of an egg timer and an incandescent light bulb. Fascinated by its effect, Craven saw potential in it. He set up a workshop in his garden shed and experimented after work and on weekends with different materials: fillings and glass bottles of various shapes. Finally, he found the perfect shape in the Tree Top orange juice bottle, which ultimately gave the original lava lamp, 'Astra', its form, which it retains to this day.

Symbol of the 1960s

Once form and function worked, Craven founded the company Crestworth. From a small building in the Poole industrial park, the inventor supplied the world with his object, which provided psychedelic experiences, for 40 years. "Whoever buys the lamp doesn't need drugs," Craven summarized, adding: "It's like a cycle of life. It grows, collapses, crashes, and then it starts all over again."„

The Lava Lamp – Craven's Life's Work

In the early 1990s, Craven and his fourth wife, Christine Craven Walker, partnered with Cressida Granger and David Mulley. Granger had been selling the lava lamps in her London second-hand shop since the 1980s. In 1992, the company name was changed to 'Mathmos', but the headquarters remained in Poole, and Craven continued to advise Mathmos until his death on August 15, 2000.