A short article online and later in the magazine The English Home >> Read online here <<
Globemakers Bellerby & Co painstakingly hand-craft exquisite heirlooms of the future.
Company founder Peter Bellerby never set out to become a globemaker – having previously set up and managed a bowling alley.
After a fruitless search for the perfect globe as a gift for his father’s 80th birthday, Peter decided to make his own.
So began a lengthy odyssey of maps, moulds, the politics of geography, the importance of pi – and the birth of a thriving business.
Today, Bellerby & Co’s luxurious handmade globes range from mini to massive, are sold by Harrods and have starred in Hollywood films and television programmes.
From the stand to the artwork and map-making, each globe is expertly crafted by a small team of trained globemakers, using traditional and modern techniques.
On his voyage to success, Peter came across – and overcame – numerous icebergs, from fathoming how to spin a globe smoothly on the earth’s tilted axis to laying and stretching 24 map pieces on a sphere leaving no gaps, and political disputes over the names and borders of different territories worldwide.
When Peter was unable to source perfectly spherical moulds, fabricators of Formula 1 cars offered a solution.
He is regarded by many as reviving a fading craft, and director Martin Scorsese buying four Bellerby & Co globes for his film Hugo was a significant highlight.
Bellerby & Co also undertakes commissions for bespoke globes, incorporating personal engravings and specific maps or artwork.
bellerbyandco.com
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Floor Standing Globes linked here
Bellerby & Co Globemakers, London
Modern and traditional bespoke globes, handcrafted and hand painted bespoke to order.
We ship worldwide from our London studio.
Each globe is one of a kind and can be personalised. We will work with you to finalise your choice of colouring, base style, base material and finish, and through the many options of customisation and personalisation.
Sizing from 12cm to 127cm diameter, desktop / tabletop and floor standing globes. Terrestrial and celestial.
