Designed by the automotive engineer George Carwardine, the Anglepoise lamp is based on the ability of a new type of spring and lever mechanism invented by Carwardine in 1932 to remain in position after being moved in every conceivable direction. Efficient and energy-saving, the Anglepoise has remained in production ever since. Many inventors produce ingenious ideas because they set themselves a goal, such as improving the performance of a particular product or finding a new means of tackling a problem. They then set their sights on achieving it. Yet one of the most successful examples of British invention, the Anglepoise lamp evolved as a result of experimention around a series of engineering principles.

The Anglepoise lamp was designed by George Carwardine (1887–1947), an automotive engineer specialising in vehicle suspension systems. When his employer, the Hortsman Car Company, went bankrupt Carwardine seized the moment to explore a longstanding fascination with spring and lever mechanisms. He established a garden workshop at his home in Bath and began to work on the design that would later become his legacy. Carwardine eventually developed a lamp, which, supported and balanced by a sequence of springs, cams, levers and weights, could be constantly repositioned to focus the light in specific directions, yet remained balanced when held in position. He patented his spring design on 7 July 1932. A heavy base stabilised the lamp and the shade focused the beam without causing glare. This enabled the lamp to consume less electricity than existing models.

Having finalised his design, Carwardine decided to license it to Herbert Terry & Sons, a manufacturer based at Redditch in Worcestershire that supplied springs to industry. The company was then run by Charles Terry, the eldest son of its founder, Herbert. Intent on expanding the business, Charles was keen to diversify by applying the company’s expertise in springs to new products and so he personally signed the licensing agreement for Carwardine’s lamp.

Carwardine intended to call his lamp the Equipoise but the name was rejected by the Trade Marks Registry at the Patent Office on the grounds that 'equipoise' was an existing word, so they settled on Anglepoise. The first version of the Anglepoise lamp, the 1208, was produced by Herbert Terry & Sons in 1934 with four springs. It proved so popular that one year later the company introduced a new version, the Model 1227, with three springs and an Art Deco-inspired three-tier base that looked more domestic than the single-tier base of the 1208. Herbert Terry & Sons publicised the Anglepoise by emphasising both the precision with which its beam could be focused and its energy-saving potential. One of the key benefits of the 1227 was that it worked perfectly with an energy saving 25 watt bulb by directing the light precisely where it was needed. Advertising at the time claimed the lower wattage bulb was as efficient in the Anglepoise as a 60 watt bulb would be in another lamp. Three years later, Herbert Terry & Sons introduced a new version of the Model 1227 with a two-tier base and a wider shade that was capable of taking a 40 watt bulb. This model remained in production for over 30 years and is still widely regarded as the archetypal Anglepoise, even though the design has since been modified. The 1969 Anglepoise Model 75 sported a round base and a fluted shade, held in place by a swivel ball. The 1989 Anglepoise Apex 90 refined the design of the Model 75 by adopting a modular jointing system for easy assembly. In 1971 Herbert Terry & Sons was sold to the Associated Spring Corporation but in 1975 John Terry bought back the lighting part of the spring business to form the company Anglepoise Lighting Ltd, later abbreviated to Anglepoise.

In 2002, Simon Terry succeeded his father at Anglepoise, becoming the 5th generation family member to lead the company. One year later, in 2003, Terry commissioned the product designer Kenneth Grange (1929–) to revise the Original 1227 design into the Anglepoise Type 3, notably by adding a double skin shade to accommodate a 100 watt bulb. The following year, Grange was invited to revise the design of the Model 75, resulting in the Type 75, a lamp that still bears a distinct resemblance to the prototype designed by George Carwardine over 70 years earlier.

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