On the upper floor of a warehouse in North London, in a space flooded with natural light, talented young people are diligently working – poring over maps, mixing pigments, painting with the finest imaginable brush. The atmosphere is zen-like, calm and focused; they are all serenely absorbed.
From the outside, this is a nondescript brick building on a nondescript mews. But it is home to Bellerby & Co, globemakers, and there is nowhere like it on earth.
If the enterprise can be called the ‘brainchild’ of Peter Bellerby, the birth was not without complications. In 2008, with his father’s 80th birthday approaching, Peter had the idea of buying him a globe. When he looked around, however, all he could find were gaudy mass-produced efforts, or antique models, eye-wateringly expensive. “I’d…
