Another great result for Moat Brae

Fantastic news for another D+G arts project this week as the Heritage Lottery Fund announced a grant of £1.78 million towards the conversion of Moat Brae House in Dumfries into a National Centre for Childrens Literature.

Members of the delighted Moat Brae team with a model of the proposal for the new centre

More on this story here

Making Plans for Moat Brae

from the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust

 

Dear Commonty

Moat Brae is the birthplace of Peter Pan, the ‘enchanted land’ where JM Barrie played pirate games as child. It is a beautiful Georgian house on George Street, Dumfries with a garden that slopes down to the River Nith. The house was due to be demolished in 2009, but was saved by the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust. The Trust is now transforming the property into a major attraction celebrating children’s literature. More info on the house, the garden and the project can be found at the Trust's website: http://www.peterpanmoatbrae.org/

 

This Before and After picture shows the sheer amount of progress made so far, but there's still work to be done.image credit: Graeme Robertson

Now the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust are carrying out some research into what people would like to see happening at Moat Brae. The responses will help shape the project and strengthen the bids for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Creative Scotland.

 

Please help us plan the next chapter in Moat Brae's remarkable story by sparing a few minutes to answer some questions at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MoatBraeA (Survey closes 31/12/13.)

 

Thanks!

Your own glass link to Neverland - Sponsor a Window Appeal

“But while she was dreaming the window of the nursery 

blew open, and a boy did drop on the floor. He was 

accompanied by a strange light, no bigger than your fist....”

The Moat Brae Trust are launching their Sponsor a Window campaign during the Wigtown Book Festival, whereby 'Crystal Sponsors' will enable the restoration of the Moat Brae building, through funding new windows for the building. There are 39 windows from the basement to the skylights - check out the Windows Appeal Leaflet here or if you have a ticket (if you don't, it's too late they are sold out) Joanna Lumley is speaking at the Book Festival.

Moat Brae - Cultural Building Boom Takes Off in Dumfries

Cranes on the skyline used to be a sign of economic prosperity in the old days of venture capitalism.....Dumfries is putting foundations in place for an altogether different vision of a successful future - one founded on localism, cooperation, culture and heritage. So the sight of this massive crane above Moat Brae last week was especially welcome as 'the new heralded by the old'

As the BBC reported:

The major restoration of a house that helped to inspire the Peter Pan story has reached a construction milestone.A large crane lowered three central roof beams into Moat Brae House on Irving Street in Dumfries.It will allow builders to make the 1823 mansion - where author JM Barrie played as a child - wind and watertight.

Project director Cathy Agnew of the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust said it was great to see "something so positive" after deconstruction work to date."It has visibly moved the project forward," she said. "The old patient lift from Moat Brae's nursing home days has now been removed and three major central beams have been installed."

First phase works for the creation of a national centre for children's literature on the site are on schedule to be completed by the end of 2013. Architects are currently working on the second phase which includes visitor facilities and developing land behind the house.

£1 for Neverland

The Garden that inspired JM Barrie's Peter Pan has been sold to the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust by Dumfries and Galloway Council - this is another important step in the Trust's plans to convert Moat Brae and its garden into a National Centre for Children's Literature.

The Moat Brae Garden runs down from the back of the house to the River Nith

BBC story here

D+G amongst big Creative Scotland winners

Excellent news for the SouthWest in Tuesday's announcement of big capital awards by Creative Scotland...... Moat Brae (National Centre for Children's Literature) in Dumfries and 'Star of Caledonia' (aka Gretna Landmark) were two of the 16 projects that between them were allocated £15 million.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop MSP with Moat Brae's Cathy Agnew in the building set to be transformed into the National Centre for Children's Literature

D+G's very own Land Art phenomenon Charles Jencks is behind not one but two of these major projects his Fife Earth project getting the CS thumbs-up as well as 'Star of Caledonia'.

Full list of projects and awards - here

Great news all around - well done to all involved

Never Neverland

Dumfries' controversial new statue of Peter Pan was finally unveiled yesterday by our new champion of all things Neverlandish Joanna Lumley.

The idea for a 'Statue of Liberty style' statue of JM Barries mischevious wee scamp was dreamt up by the Peoples Project of Dumfries to celebrate the author's connection with the town. So far planning permission has been refused for two sites (Cuckoo Bridge Roundabout and in front of Tescos) but the team were finally granted planning permission when the Garden Wise garden centre offered a site outside their store.

Quoted during the making of the work Chainsaw Artist Rodney Holland said ' it is quite a complex piece...it has to be because of where it’s going. It has to say lot of different things when you’re looking at it.' 

Joanna Lumley unveiling the statue at Garden Wise

Joanna Lumley pronounced herself 'enchanted' by the statue and 'impressed that it had all been made from one tree trunk'

posted by MB

The Culture Minister's Progress

The Scottish Government decamped en-masse to Stranraer on Monday where they convened a special Cabinet meeting and generally go about a bit in the South-West. One of our new (and very culturally aware) South Scotland MSPs Aileen McLeod seized the opportunity to show Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop MSP around the region.

Their journey started in the tiny village of New Luce which has been the site of an ambitious 18 month arts project. The idea was to base a pair of artists in the village for 6 months and then see what could come from that research period.

Fiona Hyslop at the site of one of the 4 permanent installations around the village. With Artist Matt Baker and Una Forster who led the project for the village

Going for a walk in the woods...the D+G way of having a chat. From right - Fiona Hyslop, Henry Crawfurd and Matt Baker. Henry was part of the local team working on the project and is now studying at Glasgow School of Art.

Next stop was Glen Luce Abbey:

Fiona Hyslop and Aileen McLeod (centre) with staff from New Luce Abbey

The intrepid band then called in at Whithorn (we've no pictures I'm afraid...anyone got any?)....

before finishing the day at Dumfries where the Cabinet Secretary announced £250,000 of funding for the Moat Brae project

Fiona Hyslop with Cathy Agnew in Moat Brae....nice look in the hard hat Cathy

It is a strange old up and downy road in the Arts in D+G at the moment.....teetering on the brink of the abyss one minute and then fresh excitement on the horizon the next. Thanks to Fiona Hyslop for making the time to check out some of what is happening here and for Aileen McLeod for arranging things. It is up to ourselves to make the most of the opportunities that are given to us - we have a moment now when we have two new representatives  in Holyrood who 'get' Culture....lets make the most of it people!

posted by MB

First Contribution to Moat Brae Fund

Historic Scotland became the first big funder to contribute to the Moat Brae Peter Pan project today when Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop MSP announced a grant of £250,000 towards the initial building works needed on the project to make the structure secure.

Joanna Lumley is the patron of the Moat Brae Peter Pan Trust

Full story here

posted by MB

Moat Brae - up, up and away

Today saw the public launch of the National Centre for Childrens Literature project that is proposed for Moat Brae, Dumfries....the garden of this house is renowned as the place inspired JM Barrie's 'Peter Pan'....full story here

posted by MB