SLOW MADE in England: Globe Makers
Photo Ana Santl
ON TOP OF A BEAUTIFUL (SLOW) WORLD
A very devoted team of artisans have picked up their brushes to hand-paint our beautiful, old world with the most delicate care and finest attention to detail.
Bellerby & Co. globemakers are located in london, but their bespoke artwork is being sought after all over the world.
From ancient mythology to modern times, every globe is custom-crafted to capture a sentimental story that will spin in time with it's beholder, for generations to come.
SLOW made BELLERBY & CO. GLOBEMAKERS | destination LONDON, ENGLAND | interview with Jade Fenster (Co-owner)
New year, new world… or old world? Being the artisan masters for painting world globes, how on earth would you define ‘global change’ post 2020?
I think we will see a lot of change and hopefully some lasting ones for the better. Most have really slowed down for the first time in adult life. In London, most people don’t see much of home life between Monday and Friday. This year, we were granted with all this time, which opened up a new appreciation for many things. From learning to cook, to taking more pride in self, home and surrounds. Appreciating loved ones and the local community more. Speaking to neighbours for the first time has broken down busy-ness to create an old-world feeling. That warm community spirit had previously been lost in many areas in London for sure.
It feels like people have stopped with time to think about what is really important to them. Like, appreciating loved ones and good friends, starting a new hobby, or reshaping a career path that aligns with passion over what pays the most. There is a better understanding of less is more and that happiness is not about being driven by money. Travel is no longer taken for granted. How lucky we have been to travel where and when we have.
But on the flip-side, it’s been wonderful to experience our home city, without the excess crowds. Londoners really took back their streets to enjoy this city in ways that were never possible before. During lock down I saw people having picnics in front of Buckingham Palace, and laying to relax on the Thames shore at low tide, like it was a beach. It was really nice to see these areas, usually so chaotic with tour groups, traffic and people taking selfies, just looking so peaceful. The skies have been so blue and the nights really quiet in a lovely way.
I hope in years to come, we see more and more opportunities for small businesses to thrive. There has been a real burst of artisanal makers popping up, creating quality products the traditional way. Sourdough bread making, craft beer and spirits, local coffee roasters are really popular now.
Spinning in nostalgia with wild adventure stories mapped by great explorers navigating their way around the world, when myth projected the earth flat. Tell us a little about Bellerby & Co. Globemakers. How has this old-world charmer and craft forged its way from a little lane in London into modern day life around the globe?
Peter Bellerby is the founding owner of Bellerby & Co. Globemakers and brings such love for world maps and geography. He always says he thinks it is only natural to want to know more about the planet we live on. Globe-making for him started as a hobby. He wanted to find a gift for his fathers 80th birthday. The options at the time were either poor replicas or priceless antiques. He sensed that the art of traditional Globe-making had disappeared, which inspired Peter to go about making his own. His original plan was to make one for his father and one for himself, but after 2 years of trying to teach himself, hundreds of failed globes later, almost going bankrupt and selling his house and car, Bellerby & Co. Globemakers was born.
World history continues in a million shades. How does one paint the world? And something that we should probably already know, how many countries make up the globe?
One can paint the world however they like, which is part of the beauty. There is no set of rules. How many countries? That’s a sensitive question worthy of an expert to write a proper article to give it full justice.
The United Nations (UN) as the most influential international organisation is often considered a good starting point for correct statistics. There are currently 193 UN members, regarded as independent countries recognised worldwide.
Becoming a part of the UN is not that easy and an interesting topic to read up on. It’s such a complicated procedure to ensure that all UN members are recognised as holding firmly established diplomatic relations with the vast majority of other territories.
Many countries have such a complex history of definition, Taiwan and Kosovo for example. The Holy See (Vatican City State) is another very interesting story. Palestine nowadays
is recognised by 138 countries.
The world is forever changing so it’s a fascinating thing to be involved with the cartography of maps and disputed borders every day.
What is it about a globe that makes these worldly characters still so in-demand?
A globe is a nostalgic object and work of art. A very good globe is a keepsake to last a lifetime and even pass onto future generations. Just like the demand for a beautiful painting or antique, people aspire to fill their homes with pieces they love that tell a story.
Our globes are handmade with much love, detail and care, passing through at least 5 pairs of hands from start to finish. Our globemakers are very proud of their work and no two globes are ever the same. That is the beauty of artisan-made… each globe made by Bellerby & Co. is custom designed and one of a kind.
The world is definitely a changed place since 2020. Do you think people (and companies) will regard old world traditions
as the ‘new world’ way?
I think the shift is already happening. We have seen many wood and metal working studios pop-up in London in the past few years. So many people have quit corporate jobs to work with their hands, compared to 20+ years ago. There was definitely a growing desire to become more resourceful and sustainable, with more DIY projects and skills learnt during the pandemic.
How does one become a master globe maker?
It takes a lot of passion and stubbornness to learn to be a very good, ‘traditional’ globe-maker. Our artisans train their hands through months, if not years of trial and error and practice. They must know the exact way to manipulate delicate, wet paper. If maneuvered too much, the paper will rip, ripple, tear or bubble, and if it is not stretched and moved enough, panels will not match up exactly. We have had apprentices work with us upwards of a year, who never quite mastered the techniques required. Some really wanted to do this job but just never quite had the right eye for detail, perfectionism and persistence needed. It’s an interesting craft really, because one never knows until spending a few months trying, whether they love it, hate it or have the ability to really excel!
Can you share a fascinating travel story that has been interpreted into one of these globes?
We made a globe for a very well known band who had spent years travelling the world to perform. Their band manager sent us what looked like hundreds of pages of tour routes. We plotted each route on the map from tour start to tour end point.
Requests are often made to track and trace family histories across the globe. They’re inspiring tales to record origin of families, like when grandparents travelled from other countries by sea with the movement of generations that follow.
We have such an eclectic range of people requesting our globes, from avid travel junkies to people who have worked on everything that travels, from flying planes to sailing submarines, yachts or Navy ships, wanting to trace back family histories or top secret missions. There are many non-disclosure agreements signed as well.
Is love of travel a prerequisite to becoming an artisan globe maker? If so, has there been a travel experience or story that was so powerful it changed you as a person?
Realistically a Globemaker is an artist and craftsperson first and foremost, but most who are drawn to working with us love travel and appreciate that they are viewing the world each day.
Every trip I have ever taken has changed me as a person. My first time to India was the biggest eye opener. I travelled with no expectations and was completely overwhelmed by the colours, sights, smells and architecture. It was amazing! The first time somewhere is exciting, but I love going back again to relax into the place more and experience things on deeper levels.
What is the most memorable commissioned project and how far do these roaming globes go?
We have globes in every corner of the world. From New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, Russia, the Middle East, all over Asia, Europe, Central, South and North America. One now sits on a private Island close to Papeete and one even travelled as far as Antarctica to sit at a research station. We are always surprised by the far-reaching places our customers house our globes.
A woman recently commissioned a globe in memory of her daughter who passed away. They had always loved travelling. During the time they were holding out for a life-saving lung transplant they saw our globes on a news story on TV. It took almost three years wait for a transplant, but sadly the daughter was so weakened by the wait, she did not survive the surgery. A year later her wonderfully kind and fascinating mother began to write the memoir. It was bought by a major literary agent and is being published in April this year (2021). When she signed the contract she decided to celebrate the moment and commissioned a globe to honour her daughter and the book. There were so many touching things painted on the globe, I cried a few times during the process. With the finished globe, she surprised her husband and he was overcome with emotions as it was a personalised memory connection to his late daughter. It was really special to be part of that process and story. I will remember her always!
What is the largest globe Bellerby & Co. have made and where is this big world spinning now?
Our largest globe is the Churchill Globe. It is 127cm (50 inches) in diameter. There are a few in America (Florida, Texas and Connecticut), one in Mexico, Russia, Jordan, Germany, Kenya, two are in the UK and one we are working on as I write this, is going to Italy.
As an artisan painting the world, do you often find yourself dreaming about travel? What would be a most intriguing place to visit?
I have been very lucky to travel the world quite a lot and use the photos I take in the studio to inspire my travel research. I’m constantly learning about different places, cultures, traditions, food and wildlife, etc., which inspires me to want to explore so much more of the world.
For the past few years I have been enjoying trips to eastern Europe. There are still so many beautiful cities and places less known in that part of the world.
I did have a trip planned to Cuba in 2020, but like so many, travel plans were cancelled. I'd also hoped to visit Japan for the first time. And I would also love to see more of South America… Argentina, Peru, Colombia…
I cannot wait to travel again!