An important milestone has been reached in the project to transform the once-derelict Moat Brae House into a national centre for children’s literature and storytelling
Contractors Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, have handed back the keys of the Georgian House in Dumfries back to Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust (PPMBT) after 18 months of major restoration work.
Dame Barbara Kelly, PPMBT Chair, said:“This is a special moment for us – marking the completion of the major restoration and building work and the move to a whole new phase of the project.
“We would like to thank the team from Balfour Beatty for the incredible job they have done in helping us give a new future to this wonderful building.”
Electrical and minor building work is still going on inside and the next stage will see the fitting out and furnishing of the building ahead of a series of special events in late 2018 and the full public opening next Spring.
Once complete Moat Brae will feature a learning and education suite, café, shop and magical interpretation to inspire visitors, to stimulate children’s imagination and reveal the many stories the house has to tell.
Picture by Graeme Robertson.
From left to right: Cathy Agnew, Project Director (PPMBT); Dame Barbara Kelly, Chairman (PPMBT); Donald Maclellan, Site Manager (Balfour Beatty); Paul Fergusson, Deputy Site Manager (Balfour Beatty).
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Notes for Editors
- Even though the building restoration work is now completed there is still much work to be done in delivering a first-class project including fitting out the rooms, adding themed interpretation and furniture, fittings and staff recruitment and staff and volunteer training. There will be naming and sponsorship opportunities to raise funds for specific features in both the house and garden.
- The house will be opened for some special events to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Young People towards the end of 2018 as part of PPMBT’s Dreams for the Future festival which is co-created by the Trust and young people aged 10 -26 – The JMB Creatives.
About PPMBT
- The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust (PPMBT) is creating a visitor attraction, at Moat Brae House in Dumfries, which is expected to host 45,000 visits a year contributing £1.3 million to the local economy.
- Children from across the region, and far beyond, will have a wonderful place to visit and play, and enjoy a year-round programme of creative events and activities.
- The centre will open in spring 2019 and will be a place to discover children’s literature and storytelling across many eras, countries and cultures. The grounds will be reinvented as a Neverland Discovery Garden.
- J M Barrie played at Moat Brae when he was a pupil at the nearby Dumfries Academy in the 1870s and later described his time in Dumfries as ‘the happiest days of his life’ and the garden as “enchanted land to me – the genesis of that nefarious work – Peter Pan”.
PPMBT will create:
- Exhibitions telling the story of Moat Brae and its links with J M Barrie
- A specialist education and learning suite
- Rooms where visitors can develop their creative potential through interactive activities
- A café and shop.
The Neverland Discovery Garden will have Peter Pan and Neverland-themed interactive features including:
- A pirate ship
- Mermaid’s Lagoon
- Performance space
… and much more.
- Moat Brae is expected to (directly) create more than a dozen new jobs while another 19 FTE jobs could be created indirectly as a result of the extra spending by visitors.
- Major contributors to the project include Dumfries and Galloway Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Creative Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, the Robertson Trust, the Wm. Grant Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Foyle Foundation, the Binks Trust and many other private trusts and individuals.
About J M Barrie and the Trust
- Author and playwright J M Barrie lived in Dumfries from the age of 13 to 17, and played in the garden at Moat Brae. His first work of fiction was a “log book” recording the games of pirates and adventure that he played there under the name of “Sixteen String Jack”. He attended the nearby Dumfries Academy and enjoyed his first experiences in staged productions at Dumfries Theatre Royal.
- J M Barrie returned to the town and on being awarded the Freedom of Dumfries, he described his childhood there as “the happiest days” of his life.
- The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust was set up in 2009 to save Moat Brae House and garden from demolition and to celebrate its international literary connection as ‘The Birthplace of Peter Pan’. * For more information log onto the Trust website www.peterpanmoatbrae.org * Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MoatBrae and twitter@ppmbt
- For more information please contact Cathy Agnew 01387 255549 / 07796 176124 or Catherine Colwell 01387 255 549/07793 488 439.
About Balfour Beatty
- Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 30,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
- Our main geographies are the UK, US and the Far East. Over the last 100 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world, including the London Olympics’ Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong’s first Zero Carbon building, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
About Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Thanks to National Lottery players, the Heritage Lottery Fund invests money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported.