Saving a little slice of JM Barrie's Neverland

The gardens around Moat Brae were credited by Barrie as inspiring him to write Peter Pan

Looking out of a small, top-floor window it is not too hard to imagine what inspired JM Barrie to write his most famous work.

The "enchanted land" where he played on the banks of the River Nith has not changed too much since his time.

However, the home of his childhood friends in Dumfries has been through the mill - particularly of late.

About a decade ago, Moat Brae was within three days of demolition and could have been lost forever.

The building was on the brink of demolition about a decade ago

Millions of pounds have been spent restoring and expanding Moat Brae

The Peter Pan Action Group ensured that did not happen and its successor, the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust (PPMBT), raised millions to see it overhauled.

It will open next year as a national centre for children's literature which will be remarkable to anyone who saw the state of disrepair it had fallen into.

"It is 10 years since this project began and a group of us managed to get together and save this place from demolition," said Dame Barbara Kelly, who chairs the PPMBT.

"We managed to do that with three days to spare.

"What a project it has been since then.

"This will bring new jobs to the town and generate income for the local economy, as well as providing lots of opportunities to encourage children and young people to take joy in reading and writing."

Moat Brae had been widely vandalised before the restoration project began

The restored building is expected to open to the public early next year

Project director Cathy Agnew said it was hard to overstate how poor the condition of the building had been.

"The roof was letting in water, the walls were saturated, the ceilings and plaster collapsing, the windows were smashed and it had been extensively vandalised," she said.

"The transformation is breathtaking. Now you open the door and enter an elegant Georgian house full of light and space.

"We are all so proud that it is still standing, has been restored, and will soon be a major new visitor attraction."

There is pride in every word, and a hope that this place will be important, not only for the community but also at national and international level.

The property was a "complete ruin" by the time the PPMBT stepped in to save it

The restoration project has returned the building to its former glory

"This house was built to be the finest house in Dumfries in 1823," explained Mark Hopton, partner at LDN Architects who, along with contractors Balfour Beatty, helped bring Moat Brae back from the brink.

"By the time the trust was set up to save it, it was a complete ruin.

"We have restored this house but given it a new lease of life - it is as much about the future as the past."

He said he hoped he had provided the building that would allow the PPMBT to complete its vision.

Cathy Agnew, Dame Barbara Kelly and Mark Hopton said they hoped the building could have international appeal

"My job has been about giving them the tools to deliver all the exciting things they are going to deliver for Dumfries," he said.

That has meant restoring the building while providing two new wings for a cafe and educational suite.

Over the coming months, it will be kitted out ready to open in spring 2019 as a new Scottish national centre for children's literature and storytelling.

Then many more people will be able to see the special spot - which was almost lost - that played a small part in the creation of Peter Pan.

Walter Newall's legacy

Moat Brae was designed by Walter Newall for local solicitor and postmaster general Robert Threshie in 1823 as a luxurious family home.

It was of such significance it was known as Number One Dumfries.

Newall - born in nearby New Abbey in 1780 - designed many other prominent buildings in and around the town.

When Moat Brae opens it will include an exhibition area telling his story and raising awareness of his contribution to Scottish architecture.