Moat Brae House

A fine five-bay Georgian villa on a site which slopes steeply down to the River Nith at the end of George Street in Dumfries, Moat Brae House was built in red sandstone ashlar in 1823 by local architect Walter Newall (1780 - 1863) for a solicitor, Robert Threshie. It is a large house, comprising two storeys and a basement, featuring a fine pedimented Greek Doric portico and a gently-pitched slate roof. In 1914 it was purchased by The Royal Scottish Nursing Home Institution, but located behind Dumfries Academy, the house was used for a time after World War II as the Classics Department for the school. Thereafter it returned to use as a nursing home, which was eventually to close in 1997. However, the house is better known for its associations with author J.M. Barrie when he lived in Dumfries as a youth. Barrie was friendly with the sons of the owner and the garden is said to have inspired his most notable creation - Peter Pan. The building was B-listed in 1961. Having deteriorated and faced with demolition, it was acquired from the Loreburn Housing Association by the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust In 2011, which intends to restore the house as a tourist attraction and create a Centre for Children's Literature. The garden will be terraced and restored as a play area. The total project cost is estimated at between £3-4 million.


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