Introduction
J M Barrie is famous worldwide as the author of Peter Pan, a story loved by generations of children. In his lifetime, Barrie was a celebrity and people flocked to see his plays. Despite fame and fortune he never forgot his childhood home, the 'little red town' of Kirriemuir.

A Master of Theatre
Everyone knows the story of the little boy who never grew up. Peter Pan has been translated into more languages than any other book except the Bible. It has recently been made into a Hollywood film.

But Barrie wrote many more plays - 39 in total - as well as books, prose works, and over 500 articles for newspapers and journals. Plays such as The Admirable Crichton and Mary Rose are still performed in theatres across Britain.

The Road to Fame and Fortune
James Matthew Barrie was born on 9 May 1860, one of ten children. His parents were linen weavers. Barrie was educated at Dumfries Academy, where he developed his writing skills and a love of theatre.

After graduating from Edinburgh University, his first writing job was with the Nottingham Journal. From there he moved to London and began writing the books and plays which would make him famous. By 1903, Barrie's plays were in big demand in London and he had become a celebrity.

House on the Hill
Barrie had fond memories of his childhood town. In 1928, he funded a new cricket pavilion and camera obscura. It was built on Kirriemuir Hill where Barrie, as a child, had watched the cricket club play.

He died in 1937 at the age of 77 and was buried in the family grave in Kirriemuir. The modest headstone simply reads, 'James Matthew Barrie'.

	A Tragic Accident When Barrie was six, his brother David died in a skating accident. He was only thirteen. His mother never got over the shock. As Barrie grew up he realised that, in his mother's memory, David would remain a young boy. Could David have inspired the character of Peter Pan?

	The Lost Boys In London, Barrie met the Llewelyn Davies family while walking his St Bernard dog, Porthos. He entertained the children with tales of adventure - these were the start of his greatest adventure story, Peter Pan. Q: Who do you think Nana in Peter Pan was based on?

	At his Mother's Knee Barrie inherited a love of stories from his mother. They would choose books from the local library and read them together. Stories of her own childhood enthralled him, and she encouraged him to write his own. Barrie would also read 'Penny Dreadfuls', magazines of serialised stories which fired his imagination.

Barrie's First Theatre
Barrie wrote and performed his first play when he was seven, in the wash-house behind his home. Barrie and his friend James Robb played all the characters, and the entrance fee was 'preens, a bool or a peerie' (pins, a marble or a spinning top).

The wash-house was his inspiration, when writing Peter Pan, for the little house the Lost Boys built for Wendy.

Little Red Town
The handloom weavers were independent, well-read people with their own culture. His stories about 'the little red town' - his name for Kirriemuir in the book A Window in the Thrums - brought his first success as a writer. He recorded his mother's memories of life before steam-powered looms ended the handloom weaving trade.

Q: Why did Barrie call Kirriemuir 'the little red town'?
A: All the buildings were made of red sandstone from a local quarry.

	Did You Know? Before he died, Barrie signed over all royalties for Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. To this day, the royalties are an important source of income for the hospital. Great Scott! When Barrie became rich and famous, he used his money to help close friends and worthy causes. Barrie helped to fund Captain Scott's expedition to Antarctica.

Barrie's Birthplace
J M Barrie was born in 'The Tenements', a row of two-storey weavers' cottages. The ground floor of the Barrie's house held the loom and yarn store. The family lived in the two rooms upstairs. Each tenement had a small garden for vegetables, and most families kept chickens.

When David Barrie moved his loom to a nearby loomshop, the workshop became a parlour. The house today is furnished as it would have been in Barrie's day.

On display are two Peter Pan costumes worn by famous actresses who played the lead role (traditionally played by a woman). You can also see Barrie's desk and blotter, badly worn from all his writing!

Many other interesting things which survive from his childhood home can be found in Barrie's Birthplace. Reminders of his life and work - letters, books, scripts and newspaper cuttings - help us to appreciate a remarkable man.

Find out more about J M Barrie, his life and work at:

Barrie's Birthplace (North East Region)
The Camera Obscura ------------------> LINK??

Glossary:

Camera Obscura
A device to project images from outside onto a screen which is housed within a dark room.

Royalties
A payment made to an author for every copy sold, or public performance held, of their work.