The Extensively refurbished category B listed building Moat Brae, lay claim as the genesis of J.M. Barrie’s classic story, Peter Pan, opened as a Dumfries attraction after it had multi millions of pounds of funding and public money spent on has been sold and is now up for rent as office spaces by Ayshire based company CORESPACE®.
The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust that refurbished and ran the Moat Brae Visitor Centre in Dumfries closed its doors to the public in 2024 due ongoing financial challenges, including a reduction in funding and a decline in visitor numbers, alongside increasing operational costs.
The building went onto the open market via Shepherds who listed the Moat Brae as a wonderfully designed and re-imagined house with ‘enchanted lands’
The Category B listed building was originally designed by Walter Newall as a private residential dwelling in 1823. Such was its grandeur that at one time the property was
known as ‘Number One Dumfries’. During its use as a residential dwelling, the author and
playwright J.M. Barrie is said to have befriended the children who resided here, whilst he studied at the nearby Dumfries Academy.
It is from these visits, and especially his time in the gardens, which he later eluded provided inspiration toward one of the world’s most famous children’s novels. The building was subsequently used as a private nursing home for most of the 20th century before closing in 1997 and then falling into disrepair.
In 2009, the property was saved from demolition and afterward re-opened as a visitor centre in 2019, following an extensive multi-million pound redevelopment project
Rightmove now have offices in the building listed for rent, starting at £500 per month, more information can be found by clicking HERE
