Commissioned in 2022 and delivered in January 2023 – a bespoke map designed for an 80cm diameter globe. The cartography shows 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 drawn and hand painted illustrations reflecting the clients unique life and interests.
We also worked with the client to design a bespoke rotational base. This base sits within a feature already in their home (hence the anchoring piece shown at the bottom of the base). The base is hand-cast in Bronze and hand finished – designed to look like petals. The globe sits and spins 360 degrees in all directions by hand on hidden ball bearings. View more photos >> click link
Due to its complexity we only make one or two a year.
We recently had a commission for a special globe base inspired by a 17th century model (pictured below) but constructed with new techniques and a current map.
It uses precision engineering to ensure that the top heavy fragile stand will stand up to the rigours of use. And it utilises brass feet cast in our foundry and then polished.
The pattern for these was created by our in house model maker (who is also one of our senior Globemakers). Fashioned in plasticine, we then take a silicone mould before making a resin cast.
After further finishing, 6 feet are cast in the foundry.
We can cast anything within reason.
A heavy solid wood base, finished with gesso and layered in gold leaf, from Europes sole remaining hand beater (see video below) who lives in Titian’s former studio in Venice, and blue milk paint to give a wonderful deep patina, which is then burnished and polished. He’s broken his thumb two times by the way!
The wrought iron is made in a Berkshire ironworks and the mechanism (a 4 inch deep screw joint) which holds the upper part securely to the base is machined by our metal machinists who as a side business (maybe their main business!) run up engine parts for one of the current F1 teams plus secretive government contracts.
The table top is made in our studio with the foundry casting the meridian which is then hand engraved by our Medway engraver.
We designed and sourced new contractors to make this piece, a process taking 18 months, and the globe was then shipped to North Carolina, where it has a lovely view of the Blue Ridge Mountains (Appalachian Range)
The wrought iron is made in a Berkshire ironworks and the mechanism (a 4 inch deep screw joint) which holds the upper part securely to the base is machined by our metal machinists who as a side business (maybe their main business!) run up engine parts for one of the current F1 teams plus secretive government contracts.
The table top is made in our studio with the foundry casting the meridian which is then hand engraved by our Medway engraver.
We designed and sourced new contractors to make this piece, a process taking 18 months, and the globe was then shipped to North Carolina, where it has a lovely view of the Blue Ridge Mountains (Appalachian Range)
We were trusted to create a very special & sentimental globe, designed to also be an Urn.
Made to honour Everett Morton aka TheLegendary Ska Drummer (05.04.1950 – 08.10.2021).
This 22cm diameter globe includes hand drawn & hand painting illustrations, including a portrait, as well as flight routes tracing important dates & journeys between St.Kitts and the U.K.
This gorgeous globe has over 300 hand drawn and hand painted illustrations of birds and flowers (click for more photos).
We really enjoyed working on this bespoke one-off base that included hand carved legs and feet (click for more photos). The customer wanted a ‘War Room’ feel with the thickness / sizing. The globe spins 360 degrees in a fluid motion by hand.
View more photos – click here
Photographer credit, image courtesy: Courtesy the artist, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and Pearl Lam Galleries, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore, Photographer: Thomas Liu
Special commission
of Al-Idrisi’s world map from
‘Alî ibn Hasan al-Hûfî al-Qâsimî’s 1456
This is a globe of some of the world’s most significant migrations, in humans, animals and birds (Click for more images)
Click for more photos We love it when customers come to us with ideas for totally one-off bespoke globes – especially when they are so far from something we would produce on our own. It is wonderful as we get to learn about the customers passions and see the world through their eyes. The customer who this globe was commissioned for is an Ice Age Ecologist – and his partner and family commissioned this as a lovely work as a “scientific work of art”. They gifted it to him for his birthday as a surprise – and then he was in touch from there to specify his wishes and work with us one-on-one to create the world in his vision. Sizing is 36cm diameter and colouring is based on our ‘Glacial Blue’ – the base is Cherry Wood in the Livingstone style and the globe has a matte finish. All Livingstone globes spin on an axis and are hand finished with a resin to make them safe to be touched and spun. The globe sits between a hand-cast brass finial and arm.
