For centuries, humans have always wanted to discover distant, new lands. Cartography has had its place in our history as early as the 6th century BC with Anaximander, a Greek academic, the first to create a map of the world. Maps continued to be recorded on stone tablets and in the 2nd century AD, Ptolemy, a Greek philosopher, accidentally invented Geography.
With the creation of maps, it took a while longer until globes followed suit, with the earliest being over 2,000 years ago. The oldest known globe, which is still in existence today, was made by map maker, Martin Benhaim in 1492. You would think that since we’ve had them around for over two millennia we would have reached perfection a long time ago. However, according to the founder of Bellerby & Co Globemakers, Peter Bellerby, that wasn’t the case, so he set about changing it.
Bellerby & Co Globemakers are at the forefront of exquisite globe design and manufacturing. With each one painstakingly crafted by hand, it’s no wonder they almost cost the earth. However, that also means a premium behind the globes they make, but is it worth it? The answer for most of us will probably be “no”, but the prestigious globemaker might beg to differ.
Bespoke map with cartography showing the interconnectivity of the world through its underwater cabling network. The cartography of major cities was also designed to reflect population sizes and the globe has many hand painted illustrations –https://t.co/sGOv7aSxDE pic.twitter.com/6O4CfGvZhj
— Bellerby Globemakers (@globemakers) March 24, 2023
Perfecting the globe
If you were to have a look now on Amazon or eBay you could probably pick up a generic globe for less than £20, and that would suffice for most of us. Of course, the opposite, extravagant end of the scale is one that’s made by specialists such as those from Bellerby & Co Globemakers.
If you thought the process was a simple matter of finding a ball and sticking some maps on it, then think again. According to Bellerby, previous globe makers were far from perfect when “goring their globes” or the process of adding the map to the sphere. Once the map has been designed and hand-drawn, it is then cut up into different sections and placed individually onto the globe.
The process itself is difficult because a globe has to be perfectly round. This is to comfortably house the 24 pieces of the map that have been sliced up to be stuck down in place. The finished product must have no gaps, missing countries, or lopsided latitude lines. Goring the globes sounds easier said than done, but when the molds are made by Formula 1 fabricators, it’s certainly achievable.
In the studio of Bellerby & Co Globemakers, London. Handcrafted and hand painted globes and flat maps made bespoke to order.https://t.co/cuOfyLWNeb #globemaker #mapmaker #cartography #maps pic.twitter.com/OTEjdolaH9
— Bellerby Globemakers (@globemakers) March 24, 2023
From a delightful desktop globe to a floor-standing centerpiece, Bellerby & Co Globemakers have a globe of all sizes but don’t come in cheap. With their prices starting at around £1,100 and reaching the dizzying heights of £69,000, I don’t think I’ll be adding one to my Christmas list.
Is it worth it?
A globe from Bellerby & Co Globemakers will put a dent in your wallet, especially if you add individual personalizations to your order. Each globe that they design and manufacture is done by hand. The globes themselves are perfectly round, to ensure that every line is precisely where it should be. Plus each map is hand drawn and painted, sometimes with requested illustrations, such as animals of the world, voyages taken by explorers, or anything else the customer desires.
They’ve taken on commissions to create a timeline of family history and worked with artists to make one-off pieces. Each tiny detail can be personalized and made unique for you, not to mention that these globes also last longer than your average globe. Although I can’t afford one, I would never begrudge anyone the indulgence of owning one themselves considering the time, patience, effort, and individuality poured into making these globes.
YouTube: Bellerby & Co Globemakers | A Film by Tom Bunning
Photo credit: The feature image has been symbolic and has been taken by Asier Romero.
