ARTISAN BUSINESS
Renowned globemaker Peter Bellerby on why bespoke, handcrafted maps are more relevant than ever in today’s world
As a child, I didn’t read many novels; I had a vivid imagination but makebelieve stories were not the medium to transport me. I was much more interested in facts. Growing up in the middle of nowhere, with my father working abroad for much of the year, I would spend hours in his study, poring over his collection of encyclopedias and illustrated books on the natural world. I wanted to understand how the world works. Like a lot of children, I was fascinated by the universe – and, by extension, globes, the only accurate representation of our planet. I used to pester my parents to buy one of those garish 1970s numbers that opened up to reveal a drinks cabinet, one of the few large floor-standing models available at the time.
My interest in globes has been a constant ever since. I use Google Maps every day, but it doesn’t replace the old-fashioned globe. For me, the modern digital map and the globe perform completely different functions. You never use a globe today for directions, and when you look at a map on your phone, you never experience the same feeling of awe as you do when you hold a globe in your hand or spin it on its axis. Google Maps might inform, but a globe inspires. Perhaps this is because it gives you a different perspective from a flat map of the world. Whereas on many two-dimensional maps, the focus falls on Europe as the apparent centre of the world, the globe is a spherical object on which there can be no preordained centre, allowing each place to be of equal significance. In that way, globes help us to understand where we are in relation to the rest of the world. They remind us of how minuscule – and insignificant – we are.
A GLOBAL BUSINESS
Based in a studio with 25 talented artisans, my company Bellerby & Co Globemakers makes more than 600 globes of varying sizes and types each year, shipping them all over the world. It’s a craft that never stands still. As we continually strive for perfection, we have to keep abreast of cartographical and political changes and are constantly updating our maps. For each new globe, we print an up-tothe-minute map to order, with the year of completion on the cartouche [the frame used to highlight pieces oftextonamap], sotherepresentation of the world is as accurate as possible at the time of making. Every day we update our list of world leaders, which, at the customer’s request, we print on the map in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Our printing set-up gives us enormous scope for customisation and to add personal touches – for example, we can add the name of a home town, even a tiny village. We are also often asked to feature customers’ artwork and illustrations of sentimental significance, some more idiosyncratic than others: travel routes, portraits, deckcha
