Peter Pan born in Scotland

From the ages of 13 to 18, James Matthew Barrie played wild and adventurous pirate games with his friends in the ‘enchanted land’ surrounding the grand Georgian house at Moat Brae. These games were long after to provide the inspiration behind ‘that nefarious work’ – Peter Pan. The unique environment and the experiences he had here in Dumfries at that time would strongly influence Barrie’s astonishingly successful writing career.

J.M. Barrie moved to Dumfries in 1873 from Kirriemuir, in Angus, where he had grown up as one of ten children in a weaving family. He stayed with his older brother Alexander, a school’s inspector, and attended Dumfries Academy where he became involved in the newly formed Dramatic Club as well as writing for the school magazine.

https://www.moatbrae.org

This had a profound and devastating effect upon his mother who remained in Kirriemuir.

James tried very hard to replace his brother in his mother’s affection. She believed that through his premature death, David would always remain a boy.

JM Barrie was born in Kirriemuir in Angus, six miles north-west of Forfar, and spent five years of his adolescence in Dumfries, playing adventurous games with his friends in the ‘enchanted land’ at the grand Georgian house Moat Brae.

J.M. Barrie lived in Dumfries from 1873 to 1878 and wrote Peter Pan in 1904 as a play, which went on to successfully inspire generations of young people to read and enjoy his wonderful story. During his time in Dumfries, he often visited Moat Brae and went on to say that the gardens were ‘enchanted lands’ to him and went on to inspire the world of Peter Pan. Today, visitors can explore the house and its gardens where Peter Pan began with a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities and a delicious café to enjoy lunch.

It was in the wings of the Theatre Royal in Dumfries and the reading rooms of Anderson’s Library and Book Shop that Barrie developed his love of theatre and satisfied his voracious appetite for literature.

His first play, written and performed when he was 17, was called Bandelero the Bandit and his first work of fiction was a ‘log book’ of the games he played in the ‘enchanted land’ at Moat Brae.

Six years previously, his brother David had died tragically at the age of fourteen, after a ice skating accident .

JM Barrie fans should drive north to Angus, to see JM Barrie’s Birthplace and ‘The Boy https://www.moatbrae.org/

Who Never Grew Up’ statue in the city centre.

Moat Brae House and the Neverland

Discovery Garden bring stories to life for children, families and other visitors through fascinating facts, interactive exhibits, and inspiring play spaces.

Explore J. M. Barrie's world, chase Peter Pan's shadow, or snuggle up with a book in our sunlit library or reading nooks. Every day we have free drop-in storytelling sessions, workshops, and more.

Check the information when you arrive to see the day’s planned events.

“A certain Dumfries Garden which is ‘Enchanted Land’ to me were certainly the genesis of that nefarious work, Peter Pan.”

J.M. Barrie creator of Peter Pan