Anglepoise Original 1227 Desk Lamp

Last updated: 20 September 2026

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What the Anglepoise Original 1227 is

It is a task lamp held up by three springs. Consequently you can push the head anywhere within about 90cm of the base, let go, and it stays there. Anglepoise calls the mechanism constant tension spring technology. The rest of the lamp exists to hold it steady: a cast iron base with a steel cover, aluminium arms, chrome-plated fittings and a gloss-painted shade.

The shape has barely moved since 1935. Indeed the V&A holds a 1938 example, made by Herbert Terry & Sons in Redditch. Its base measures 15 by 15cm, exactly the footprint Anglepoise sells today. That lamp sits in Room 74 under accession number M.23-2013, and entry is free.

The Original 1227 in Bright Chrome, the version Buy Me Once sells at £249. Its arm reaches 90cm from the base.

How a car spring turned into a desk lamp

George Carwardine worked as an automotive engineer. In 1932 he invented a new kind of spring for a vehicle suspension system. He then noticed that it could hold a weight at any angle under the lightest touch. A year later he asked the springmakers Herbert Terry & Sons to build the first Anglepoise. That lamp was the four-spring Model 1208. Finally, in 1935, the pair produced the three-spring version: the Original 1227.

The Terry family has run Anglepoise ever since, now from Denmead in Hampshire. Sir Kenneth Grange joined as design director in 2003. Then in 2009 Royal Mail put the Original 1227 on a stamp, alongside other British design classics. Grange put it this way on Anglepoise's own history page: "The Anglepoise is a minor miracle of balance, a quality in life we do not value as we should".

Which Anglepoise Original 1227 to buy

Buy Me Once carries four versions and all four were in stock on 20 September 2026. The two full-size lamps differ in their fittings rather than their frame. Bright Chrome gets chrome-plated hardware. Meanwhile the Brass version swaps in a brass shade cap, bridle, spacers and fittings, plus a twisted woven fabric cable.

Anglepoise itself sells four painted full-size versions at £219: Linen White, Jet Black, Dove Grey and a National Trust Sage Green. Buy Me Once does not stock those. So the painted route saves £30, and it means ordering direct from Anglepoise instead. Either way delivery is free.

See all four versions at Buy Me Once

Size: the Mini against the full-size lamp

The full-size lamp reaches across a desk the way an arm does. At full stretch the shade sits 90cm from the base, which clears a 60cm-deep desk with room to spare. The Mini reaches 72cm, so it lands somewhere between a bedside lamp and a task light.

All the figures above come from Anglepoise's own specification sheets. Buy Me Once repeats the Mini's measurements on all four listings. So use the table above rather than the dimensions in its product description.

Bulbs, and the one thing people get wrong

Every Anglepoise made after 2000 takes a screw fitting rather than a bayonet. The full-size Anglepoise Original 1227 uses an E27 screw bulb. One arrives in the box: an LED in warm white, giving roughly the light of an old 40W incandescent. Meanwhile the Mini and the other small lamps take an E14 instead.

Weight matters more than wattage here, because the springs are balanced around it. Anglepoise puts the workable range at 25 to 60 grams. It suggests weighing a replacement against the old one in the shop. A heavy decorative bulb will drag the head down, and no amount of spring adjustment fixes that. The company's own guide to Anglepoise bulbs covers the whole range.

What the lifetime guarantee actually covers

Anglepoise has guaranteed its lights for life since 20 January 2020. Under it the company services and repairs the light so that it keeps working. You register the lamp within 90 days of buying it, and normal domestic use applies. Lights bought before that date carry five years instead. Anglepoise also sells spring kits, switch bars and rewire kits. Better still, it runs a repair service for 1227s built between 1938 and 1968, so a worn lamp can be fixed rather than binned.

Buy Me Once adds a separate 30-day return window on most of what it sells. However, returned items must be unused and in their original packaging. You also pay the return postage unless the lamp arrives faulty. The return period and the manufacturer's guarantee are two different things, so treat them separately.

If you would rather have a designer collaboration

The Original 1227 is the undecorated original, and that is the point of it. Anglepoise has nevertheless spent two decades working with Sir Kenneth Grange, Margaret Howell and Paul Smith. Those versions look nothing like this one. If a pattern matters more to you than the 1935 silhouette, my Anglepoise Paul Smith edition page covers that route at £289. For something louder still, the Seletti Monkey Lamp sits at a similar price and does a completely different job.

Buy the Brass Original 1227 in Ink Blue, £259

Anglepoise Original 1227 FAQs

How much does the Anglepoise Original 1227 cost in the UK?

Bright Chrome costs £249 and the Brass version in Ink Blue costs £259. Both shops charge the same. The Mini costs £189 in Linen White or Jet Black. Anglepoise also sells painted full-size versions at £219, which Buy Me Once does not stock.

Is the Original 1227 made in the UK?

Anglepoise is a British company. The Terry family has run it since 1933, now from Denmead in Hampshire. Manufacturing has moved around over ninety years, so ask Anglepoise directly if the country of manufacture decides it for you.

What bulb does the Anglepoise Original 1227 take?

An E27 screw bulb on the full-size lamp, and an E14 on the Mini. One comes in the box. Keep a replacement between 25 and 60 grams, because the springs are balanced around the weight of the bulb.

What is the difference between the Original 1227 and the Mini?

The Mini is two thirds the size. It reaches 72cm rather than 90cm, and it takes an E14 bulb. Its base is 13cm square rather than 15cm. Otherwise it keeps the stepped base, the three springs and the same shade shape.

How long is the Anglepoise guarantee?

For life, on anything bought from 20 January 2020. You register it within 90 days, and normal domestic use applies. Anything bought before that date has a five-year warranty.

Can you still get parts for an old Anglepoise?

Yes. Anglepoise sells spring kits, switch bars and rewire kits. It also runs a paid repair service for Model 1227 lamps made between 1938 and 1968.

Is the Anglepoise Original 1227 worth £249?

That depends on how long you keep things. The Anglepoise Original 1227 is expensive next to a supermarket task light. However, Anglepoise services it, sells the parts separately and still repairs lamps from the 1930s. Spread £249 over twenty years and it costs about £12 a year.

Where can I see one in person?

The V&A displays a 1938 Original 1227 in Room 74 in South Kensington, and entry is free. Design shops and John Lewis stock the current range if you want to move the arms yourself before buying.

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Prices, stock and product details change. Every figure here was checked on 20 September 2026, against Anglepoise's own product pages and Buy Me Once's live catalogue. Specifications come from Anglepoise. This page is not a substitute for the manufacturer's own instructions.

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