Globe making

The earliest English globes were made by Emery Molyneux a scientific instrument maker. The earliest surviving example is at Petworth House and dates from 1592. There is another fine pair of his globes at Middle Temple which date from 1603.

There are several types of globe: terrestrial globes (showing the Earth), celestial globes (showing the skies), lunar globes (showing the moon), and planetary globes.

The traditional method of globe construction involved making a papier maché sphere and then covering it in plaster (although today, many globe makers outsource the spheres and have them made in resin/fibreglass or plastic).

There are a number of key skills involved including:

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• Wood turning (stands)
• Ball making (fibreglass, plaster, plastic, etc.)
• Map making
• Restoration
• Engraving
• Engineering

• 20 years ago Globe making was incredibly endangered. Now it is a rare, niche craft but this has possibly always been the case at the higher end of the market.
• Globe making is becoming increasingly recognised across the world, much of which is driven by social media

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• Greaves & Thomas, Ryde, Isle of Wight
• Lander & May, Cowes, Isle of Wight
• Peter Bellerby, Bellerby & Co Globemakers, London – employs 25 people making all aspects of globes
• The Little Globe Co, London (porcelain globes, so uses different skills to traditional globe making)

Individual makers:

• Loraine Rutt – been making porcelain relief globes since 1990, and more recently trading as The Little Globe Co since 2015 selling pocket globes

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• Lovett, Patricia, (2014) The Art and History of Globes
• Sumira, Sylvia, (2014) The Art and History of Globes
• British Pathe (1955) Globe Making