New owner outlines vision for Peter Pan mansion

Hugh Mulgrew says he still struggles at times to believe he owns the 202-year-old mansion

Hugh Mulgrew says he still has to pinch himself sometimes to believe he is the new owner of the mansion which helped inspire JM Barrie to write Peter Pan.

The Northern Irish businessman secured the Moat Brae building in Dumfries after it closed its doors as a national centre for children's literature.

Now the 202-year-old property faces another new chapter in its existence as his Ayrshire-based development company Corespace turns it into up to 18 offices.

The first tenants should be in place in a matter of weeks and Mr Mulgrew is confident his plans can keep the site in use for years to come.

The first tenants should move into Moat Brae in a matter of weeks

The site on the banks of the River Nith was where Barrie played as a child and he credited its gardens for helping to inspire his most famous work.

More recently, though, it sat empty for many years and was on the brink of demolition before it was taken over by a trust and reopened as a literature centre after a multi-million pound overhaul.

There were fears when that project failed last year that it could remain vacant once more.

However, that was when the 48-year-old from Donaghadee saw an opportunity to expand his business which creates office spaces similar to those found in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

With sites already in Ayr, Kilmarnock and Kilwinning he felt it was natural to expand either north into Inverclyde or south into Dumfries and Galloway.

The building was on the brink of demolition before it was redeveloped as a literature centre

"Then this beautiful building came up," he explained.

"You're constantly - every night maybe before bedtime - scanning the different properties that are coming on the market or are on the market.

"And then this one came up - I didn't know that much about the whole history of it and then when I came down in August or maybe September last year I was just absolutely blown away by the complete beauty of the whole place."

He said his plans had progressed "slightly slower" than usual because of the "sensitivity of the building" and donating items in the building to the "right places".

However, the adjoining cafe has already reopened and the first tenants are now lined up.

The public will be able to access the gardens behind the office spaces

Mr Mulgrew said there would also still be some recognition of its links to one of children's literature's most famous works.

"JM Barrie got the inspiration for Peter Pan from the garden at Moat Brae," he said.

"So I was quite adamant from the first day that whatever I did, I was going to make sure that the access to the garden was open to everybody."

There could also be a room set aside for any items available with a Barrie connection.

"We'll go through that process to see if we can make that work and how viable that would be," he said.

Some part of the building could be turned over to JM Barrie and Peter Pan artefacts

He added that although the literature centre had ultimately had to close, the property he had inherited was in great condition.

"You have to give credit where credit is due - the fabric of the building is absolutely sensational," he said.

"The features and the detail that they put in, they've done all the hard work.

"As a developer, I really appreciate what has been done, but I'd love to have seen it beforehand to then be very overwhelmed with what was done."

It can also be a little overwhelming to own such a property.

JM Barrie was inspired by the gardens at Moat Brae

Mr Mulgrew said: "I don't normally get this but maybe two or three months ago I was walking up to the garden at the rear of the property and I actually had one of those moments where you nearly have to pinch yourself.

"It was a summer's evening, there was somebody rowing down the River Nith and I was looking at the building and it was just one of those evenings where you went - wow, that's incredible.

"It's so important for the town and everything else to make sure that whatever we do everybody can maybe have that feeling that I had."

The bottom line, though, is that he believes it can work as a business.

"When I try to design the perfect business environment and business office, I think I've struggled to find anything as good as this," he said.

"If I had to design the perfect office, I don't think we're far off it here."