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www.privateairny.com Private Air | Spring 2020 64 up to £54,000. After all, who needs a physical globe in the age of Google Maps? ose who appreciate the craftsmanship and great artistry. "Globes are also really nice pieces of furniture. But they are more than that too," says Bellerby, whose best subject at school was, naturally, geography. "We're all exposed to them at school, but spheres are impressive things – by a country mile," he adds, employing a measurement of distance found on his products. "In contrast, a map is always a projection. A globe shows you where you are in relation to everything else. A map informs; a globe inspires." It also frustrates. Turning to antique books and dissecting old globes, Bellerby soon found that there was no 'right' way to make one, just plenty of examples of ways not to. But there were also opportunities to improve on anything that had been made before. As he discovered as he pondered over land masses and wide seas, traditional plaster of Paris is fine for his mid- sized models. However, for his smallest, a desktop globe, through to his largest, 127cm- diameter Churchill globe, only resin provides the right weight and strength. Consequently, he works with a specialist company that is known for making Formula 1 parts. It's fine having a globe spin on one axis. Still, Bellerby also chose to develop a complex roller-bearing mounting so that it can be spun smoothly in any direction, yet always settling upright. Happy accidents helped as well: learning to mix pigments, he found a method of creating a distinctive fade effect along coastlines. Globemaking can be a bit frustrating as well. Bellerby picks up a slice of Pacific Ocean to demonstrate. It's one of 48 delicate gauze panels on a globe, each of which takes half an hour to apply. ey are stuck on and THE COLLECTION

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