Modern Day Political & Physical Globes

Our 12" diameter Blackwater, Blue Mod Day and Classic Green Modern Globes are affordable and available on 3 different bases:

Our Blackwater Globe on Liberty Base...

Detail of Europe on our Blackwater Globe.

How can one not feel like a god when observing a globe from above!

Our Classic Modern Day Globe on our Rand base which tilts the globe to the ecliptic angle of 23.5 degrees.

Rand base as used on our Rand McNally Globe

OUR BLUE MODERN DAY GLOBE

David Attenbrough uses our Blue Modern Day Globe in his BBC documentaries.

Our Blue Modern Day Globe

Northern Hemisphere of our Blue Modern Day Globe

We can also supply any modern day globe with a brass or chrome meridian........

Our 12" Modern Day Globe with a chrome meridian - we no longer supply chrome however traditional brass meridians are available.

Europe as depicted on our Modern day Blue Globe. Here supported by our chrome meridian PLEASE NOTE WE NO LONGER SUPPLY
CHROME MERIDIANS - Brass are availabe .

Alternative Modernday Globes

Greaves & Thomas' Wax Lyrical Globe with exaggerated relief with Brass Meridian

Greaves & Thomas Aqua Alluvial Globe shows the flow of water.

We can also offer customising our globes with a customised label, added location dots journey routes etc.

 

This Label can be Customised, see our Customised Globe or see guide.

 

 

We can also supply larger globes.. here is our 16" diameter Gebco/NASA globe mounted on our bronze Copley stand and painted with distressed whites.

12" globes are also available at 16 inches diameter on our Copley Bronze or Student Bases.

 

 

12" DIAMETER MODERN DAY GLOBE WITH BLACK LIBERTY BASE AND BRASS COLLAR £145 + delivery.

12" DIAMETER MODERN DAY GLOBE WITH RAND MCNALLY BASE £145 + delivery.

12" DIAMETER MODERN DAY GLOBE WITH BRASS MERIDIAN £285 + delivery.

 

16" DIAMETER MODERN DAY GLOBE ON COPLEY BRONZE STAND EITHER PAINTED DISTRESSED WHITE OR ANTIQUE BRONZE £2,000 + delivery.

16" DIAMETER MODERN DAY GLOBE ON COPLEY STUDENT BASE EITHER PAINTED DISTRESSED WHITE OR EBONISED BLACK TURNED BASE £600 + delivery.

 

Packing and delivery prices vary depending where on this globe you presently live. If you are interested in any of our globes on our web site, please email us the reference number(s) and state which country you live in and if you require a shipping quote.

 

 

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oCUSTOMISED GLOBES

 

If you are looking for a special gift, for your best friends, corporation or family member, which helps celebrate a special occasion, then our 'Customised Globe' might be what you are looking for! For a small additional fee we can replace our existing label on our Modern Globe. To date proud Godparents have found this product most apt for their Godchild as it records the world when they were born and no doubt will become a family heirloom. It also makes the ideal wedding present and confirms the possibility of loving someone so much that they would 'Give them the World'. We have also supplied labels celebrating Anniversaries, Births etc.

We can also supply similar labels which would be apt for use on our other globes, for example our 1881 Globe makes an excellent Corporate retirement gift.

 

 

The bespoke label, once made, is then applied to the globe before it is sealed and lacquered. This instantly makes the world globe a very special personalised gift. The label can also be appliesd to the underneath of the base.

 

Listed below is a range of labels which you can use as a template, or you may wish to specify something completely different, for once the choice is really yours!

 

 

If the above labes are similar to what you desire, simply email us your text and we will snd you an example back for approval.

 

 

Customised globe. GT CUS:

£20.00 on globe itself.

£10.00 under base.

+ Cost of chosen globe.

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Greaves & Thomas, fine Globemakers, a potted history.

Award winning Globemakers Greaves & Thomas are a small company based in the United Kingdom, today they make Historical Globes, Celestial Globes, Lunar Globes, Planetary Globes, Facsimile Globes, Replica Globes, Themed Globes, Paper Folding Globes, and Modern Day Globes. Arts Corespondent Jemmy Button looks into their history.

In 1991 James Bissell-Thomas after several years of research, published his first globe (Merzbach & Falk's 1881 globe). The globe was well received, especially because of the ageing techniques developed to lend the globes a patina producing a convincing replica. James Bissell-Thomas believes that this was achieved because of his Art School background, his printing knowledge gained running his own publishing house in the 1980's (Long Tail Prints) combined with his knowledge as an antiques dealer. In 1991 the first globe joined an already existing eclectic range of furnishing ideas which included Giant Tennis Rackets, Rivercraft furniture, Hat Boxes etc. (most are still being made: www.gtstore.co.uk) . It was because of James Bissell-Thomas' interest in globes, that the decision was then made to form a collection of globes, spanning cartographic history from 1492 to the present day.

At the time James' knowledge in globes was poor, however a good friend at the Royal Geographical Society pointed out that the following year (1992) would be not only be the 500 year anniversary of the European discovery of the New World, but it would also be the anniversary of the earliest surviving terrestrial globe ~ Martin Behaim's 'Erdapfel'. This globe today resides in the Germanishes Museum in Germany, rightly described by Bissell-Thomas as the 'Holy Grail' of all globes, not just because of its age, but also because of the profusion of data inscribed on the globe, the globe is best described as a medieval geographical census describing the world beyond Europe, listing the origin of spices, metals, traditions, peoples, animals, islands and religions etc. not only this but the globe covered in beautiful illustrations by Glockendon.

Despite the globe being on an elaborate stand, with extremely detailed artwork, Greaves & Thomas still decided it would be wise to republish this fine relic. Appointments were then made with the Germanisches Museum and flights were booked. On arrival at the museum in September 1991, it transpired that the Germanisch Museum had its own globe publishing interest and was not interested in helping G&T achieve their goal. Consequently, they were given a very limited time to study the original globe and reference images they also commissioned from the Museum were later blocked and never arrived. While many would have given up, Greaves & Thomas decided that it would persevere, knowing that what ever they produced would ultimately be compared to a rival globe that would have the Museum's seal of approval. All possible data concerning the globe was sourced and the finished result once again was well received, and is today is considered one of the most important globes in their collection.

In August 1992 when the Martin Behaim Globe was completed, Bissell-Thomas proudly informed the Germanish Museum that despite their reluctance to help, he had succeeded in making their facsimile. Soon after this 3 overseas business men arranged to come and see their Behaim Globe, at the time Greaves & Thomas was trading from 2 small garages in a small muddy yard, then even the two garages were not room enough, and a small 12' white square marquee had been hurriedly erected in the yard as a temporary measure. When the visitors arrived, they spent considerable time inspecting the globe, and then had an impromptu board meeting by themselves in the rain in the muddy yard, they re-entered, and announced that 2 of them were presidents of two globe companies, Rath Globes from Germany and Cram Globes from the USA. They informed Greaves & Thomas that they had been working with the Gemanishes Museum to produce their facsimile version, however upon inspection of the globe, they stated that they were keen to cease production of their own efforts and to market the G &T globe. This they did, with considerable success including selling one example to the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Not only this, but the Gemanishes Museum also ordered a globe for themselves.

Greaves & Thomas have, on more than one occasion, offered to make the Germanische Museum's version, which would be one step closer to the original, but to date they have declined. The Greaves & Thomas version can now be found in numerous museums around the world.

From this point onwards, Greaves and Thomas would only concentrate on globes, initially historical globes but soon branching into themed globes: Holbein's Terrestrial Globe; Shakespeare's Globe; Alice's Celestial Globe and lastly the ludicrous Elvis Presley Mars Globe is another example of the diversity that can be achieved in globemaking, if one cares to explore the possibility of producing something other than the norm.

 

Today alongside their Themed Globes, Historical Replica Globes and their Modern Day Globes, Greaves & Thomas have also added the spectacular 'Hermetic Globe' to their Collection and this will soon be followed by a production version of their amazing Invisible Globe.

 

Greaves & Thomas now also have now formed an interesting collection of globes made in the last 300 years by other globemakers, this 500 strong collection will soon be prominently displayed in the Museum that they are presently preparing on the Isle of Wight. This should be a Mecca for designers as it will show numerous different versions of the same object. Not only this, but they will be using the Sistine Chapel's ceiling as inspiration to make a stunning celestial ceiling, and at the same time show one of the finest optical illusions in the world.

 

A surprising aspect of Greaves & Thomas is that they produce all their Globes in the UK. While numerous companies in the UK now relocate their production to the far east, in order to survive in today's cut throat market, G&T continue to produce a quality product which is well received. Their workforce never more than 5 craftpersons, and the globes they offer are limited by craft instead of number, this is verified in the small numbers of certain globes produced each year ( for example 2-6 Coronelli Globes per year and 5-12 Behaim Iron Stand Versions per year) , consequently there is always a waiting list for the larger more intricate globes that Greaves & Thomas produce. The globes are made using recycled papers and the wooden components for the elaborate stands are also made using reclaimed / recycled timber. Consequently Greaves & Thomas globes will never cost the Earth.

 

Jemmy Button, Arts Corespondent

 

 

 

TO VIEW THE G&T GLOBE COLLECTION CLICK HERE!