Moat Brae - Birthplace of Peter Pan

Moat Brae is a listed building and cultural landmark right in the heart of Dumfries. It is also the house and garden which inspired the author of Peter Pan, JM Barrie, with ideas of fairies and pirates all living in the magical Neverland, presided over by the “boy who never grew up”. Barrie had a relatively difficult early life and found escape at Moat Brae with his best pals, Hal & Stuart Gordon. As 13-year-old boys, they invented adventures in the garden, playing at pirates and planning attacks on passing boats. The house took on many forms over the years, including becoming a hospital in 1914. However, by 1997 the house had been sold to become a hotel, only to sit empty until 2008. It was then destined to be destroyed to make way for a housing project, but just days away from being completely erased, the house was saved by the Moat Brae Trust. Over the following years, the Moat Brae Trust transformed the house and garden into the amazing landmark you can see today.