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Take a look inside the London home of JM Barrie, but be sure not to lose your shadow.
If you’ve ever watched the film, seen the play or read the book of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, you’re probably already familiar with the nursery balcony where Peter flew in and out to visit the Darling children from Neverland. But what you mightn’t know is that it’s actually based on the top-floor balcony of his South Kensington home in London.
Over 100 years since the play first hit the West End, the six-bedroom house is on the market and it retains some of the whimsy and fun that pervades the novel and play. Spread over four floors, this grand Georgian house has much of its original features, including the ornate cornicing and solid wood flooring throughout.
The top-floor balcony inspired the nighttime visits of Peter Pan to the Darling children in “Peter Pan”. Photo: Pastor Real Estate
Photo: Pastor Real Estate
JM Barrie lived here for seven years, from 1895 to 1902, before the play first came to the West End in 1904, and it’s currently up for sale for £8.5 million. In the back, the stone mullion windows of the double reception room look onto a small private garden and the communal Hereford Square beyond.
Photo: Pastor Real Estate
Photo: Pastor Real Estate
It was in the nearby Kensington Palace Gardens where the novelist and playwright met the Llewelyn Davies children, who inspired the character of Peter Pan. Barrie commissioned a bronze statue of character and placed it in the gardens to commemorate their chance meeting.
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