J. M. Barrie’s creation Peter Pan is one of the most
enduring fictional characters in British literature, best known for his eternal youth. Neverland, the fictional
land occupied by Peter and his pals, is the other creation of Barrie’s which
has caught the public imagination, with its landmarks including Neverwood,
Neverpeak Mountain, the Maze of Regrets and Pixie Hollow.
So what is the origin of this fabled land? J. M. Barrie was born in 1860 in Kirriemuir,
in Angus, just under 20 miles north of Dundee, and spent his early years sharing the family home, a typical weaver's house, with his large family. The countryside around Kirriemuir is enhanced by views of the snow-capped Cairngorm
Mountains, which may have contributed to Barrie’s imaginings of Neverland. However, it is a property on the other side of
Scotland at Dumfries that is credited as being the birthplace of Peter Pan.
 | |
| Barrie's birthplace, Kirriemuir - geograph.org.uk - 105807. Photo by Richard Slessor, via Wikimedia Commons |
In 1873 Barrie moved from Kirriemuir to Dumfries, where he stayed with his older brother and attended the Dumfries Academy. While at the Academy he began to hone his
writing skills, writing for the school magazine. From the ages of 13 to 18 Barrie frequented the
Georgian house known as Moat Brae, built in the 1820s, where he played pirate
games with his friends in the grounds surrounding the property, described by
him as the ‘enchanted land’. It was
these exploits that were to provide the inspiration for the Peter Pan story.
 | |
| Moat Brae - geograph.org.uk - 498825. Photo by Darrin Antrobus, via Wikimedia Commons |
Today, the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust, with Joanna Lumley as
its patron, is trying to raise money to create a National Centre for Children’s
Literature and Storytelling, complete with an adventure garden to give the kids
a chance to recreate Barrie’s childhood activities. Meanwhile, back in Kirriemuir, the National Trust for Scotland has taken ownership of Barrie’s birthplace, located at 4 Brechin Road. The house is stuffed full of exhibits and memorabilia
pertaining to the author. Fans of Barrie who want to visit the grave where he was buried upon his death in 1937 will find it in Kirriemuir Cemetery.
 | |
| J. M. Barrie's Grave - geograph.org.uk - 393060. Photo by Darrin Antrobus, via Wikimedia Commons |
Map of Dumfries.
No comments:
Post a Comment