diff --git a/bindings/python/mapnik_geometry.cpp b/bindings/python/mapnik_geometry.cpp
index 5e5ec8c2c..30f2876df 100644
--- a/bindings/python/mapnik_geometry.cpp
+++ b/bindings/python/mapnik_geometry.cpp
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include <mapnik/geometry.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/wkt/wkt_factory.hpp>
 #include <mapnik/wkb.hpp>
+#include <mapnik/util/geometry_to_wkb.hpp>
 
 namespace {
 
@@ -47,19 +48,47 @@ geometry_type const& getitem_impl(path_type & p, int key)
     throw boost::python::error_already_set();
 }
 
-void from_wkt_impl(path_type& p, std::string const& wkt)
+void add_wkt_impl(path_type& p, std::string const& wkt)
 {
     bool result = mapnik::from_wkt(wkt , p);
     if (!result) throw std::runtime_error("Failed to parse WKT");
 }
 
-void from_wkb_impl(path_type& p, std::string const& wkb)
+void add_wkb_impl(path_type& p, std::string const& wkb)
 {
     mapnik::geometry_utils::from_wkb(p, wkb.c_str(), wkb.size(), true);
 }
 
+boost::shared_ptr<path_type> from_wkt_impl(std::string const& wkt)
+{
+    boost::shared_ptr<path_type> paths = boost::make_shared<path_type>();
+    bool result = mapnik::from_wkt(wkt, *paths);
+    if (!result) throw std::runtime_error("Failed to parse WKT");
+    return paths;
 }
 
+boost::shared_ptr<path_type> from_wkb_impl(std::string const& wkb)
+{
+    boost::shared_ptr<path_type> paths = boost::make_shared<path_type>();
+    mapnik::geometry_utils::from_wkb(*paths, wkb.c_str(), wkb.size(), true);
+    return paths;
+}
+
+}
+
+PyObject* to_wkb( geometry_type const& geom)
+{
+    mapnik::util::wkb_buffer_ptr wkb = mapnik::util::to_wkb(geom,mapnik::util::wkbXDR);
+    return
+#if PY_VERSION_HEX >= 0x03000000
+        ::PyBytes_FromStringAndSize
+#else
+        ::PyString_FromStringAndSize
+#endif
+        ((const char*)wkb->buffer(),wkb->size());
+}
+
+
 void export_geometry()
 {
     using namespace boost::python;
@@ -74,18 +103,23 @@ void export_geometry()
         ;
 
     using mapnik::geometry_type;
-    class_<geometry_type, std::auto_ptr<geometry_type>,boost::noncopyable>("Geometry2d",no_init)
+    class_<geometry_type, std::auto_ptr<geometry_type>, boost::noncopyable>("Geometry2d",no_init)
         .def("envelope",&geometry_type::envelope)
         // .def("__str__",&geometry_type::to_string)
         .def("type",&geometry_type::type)
+        .def("to_wkb",&to_wkb)
         // TODO add other geometry_type methods
         ;
 
-    class_<path_type,boost::noncopyable>("Path")
+    class_<path_type, boost::shared_ptr<path_type>, boost::noncopyable>("Path")
         .def("__getitem__", getitem_impl,return_value_policy<reference_existing_object>())
         .def("__len__", &path_type::size)
+        .def("add_wkt",add_wkt_impl)
+        .def("add_wkb",add_wkb_impl)
         .def("from_wkt",from_wkt_impl)
         .def("from_wkb",from_wkb_impl)
+        .staticmethod("from_wkt")
+        .staticmethod("from_wkb")
         ;
 
 }
diff --git a/tests/python_tests/geometry_wkb_test.py b/tests/python_tests/geometry_wkb_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9750ef405
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/python_tests/geometry_wkb_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#encoding: utf8
+
+from nose.tools import *
+import os
+from utilities import execution_path
+import mapnik
+
+wkts = [
+    [1,"POINT (30 10)"],
+    [1,"LINESTRING (30 10, 10 30, 40 40)"],
+    [1,"POLYGON ((30 10, 10 20, 20 40, 40 40, 30 10))"],
+    [1,"POLYGON ((35 10, 10 20, 15 40, 45 45, 35 10),(20 30, 35 35, 30 20, 20 30))"],
+    [4,"MULTIPOINT ((10 40), (40 30), (20 20), (30 10))"],
+    [2,"MULTILINESTRING ((10 10, 20 20, 10 40),(40 40, 30 30, 40 20, 30 10))"],
+    [2,"MULTIPOLYGON (((30 20, 10 40, 45 40, 30 20)),((15 5, 40 10, 10 20, 5 10, 15 5)))"],
+    [2,"MULTIPOLYGON (((40 40, 20 45, 45 30, 40 40)),((20 35, 45 20, 30 5, 10 10, 10 30, 20 35),(30 20, 20 25, 20 15, 30 20)))"]
+]
+
+
+def compare_wkb_from_wkt(wkt,num):
+    f = mapnik.Feature(1)
+    f.add_geometries_from_wkt(wkt)
+    eq_(len(f.geometries()),num)
+    
+    paths = mapnik.Path.from_wkt(wkt)
+    eq_(len(paths),num)
+    
+    eq_(f.geometries()[0].to_wkb(),paths[0].to_wkb())
+    
+    paths2 = mapnik.Path()
+    for path in paths:
+        paths2.add_wkb(path.to_wkb())
+    
+    eq_(len(paths2),num)
+    eq_(f.geometries()[0].to_wkb(),paths2[0].to_wkb())
+
+def test_point():
+    for wkt in wkts:
+        try:
+            compare_wkb_from_wkt(wkt[1],wkt[0])
+        except RuntimeError, e:
+            raise RuntimeError('%s %s' % (e, wkt))    
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    [eval(run)() for run in dir() if 'test_' in run]