‘Ingrained in the fabric of British society’: the iconic lava lamp turns 60

When Ringo Starr popped into a shop in Birkenhead in 1963, little did he know that his visit would help change the future of what was to become a celebrated British brand.

Back then, they were associated with a hippy, psychedelic counterculture, and their popularity was given a boost not only by Starr but also Paul McCartney, who had lava lamps on stage with his band Wings, and David Bowie, who was photographed with one in his recording studio. A deal was struck, and Granger went on, over time, to buy the business from Craven Walker – including, of course, the “secret formula” for the liquid interior. This formula had come some way from its original, which Craven Walker worked hard to perfect, according to notes written later by his former wife, Christine.

By the time Granger took over the brand in the late 1980s, it was on the wane. But she restyled and relaunched the lamps, shipping them abroad but retaining the manufacturing base in Poole.

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