The 10 Best Things to Do in Kirriemuir, United Kingdom (UK)

Come and visit the finest castle in Scotland, winner of the best attraction award for the UK 2015. Enjoy the history and spectacle of Glamis Castle. Take a guided tour with one of our expert guides and soak up the atmosphere of a thousand years of history. Browse in our Gift Shop or just pop in for Lunch or Afternoon tea in the Victorian Kitchen Restaurant. There are events all year round so come and have a great day out!

J M Barrie, author, playwright and creator of the much loved character Peter Pan, was born in this house on 9 May 1860. It was here that he spent his early years, growing up immersed in the traditions of the small weaving community, and finding inspiration in everything around him. The house is now a museum dedicated to telling the story of J M Barrie. The exhibition rooms explore Barrie's life, the inspirations of his childhood and adult life, his route to success, Literary and stage works, and his enduring connection with Kirriemuir. Furniture and personal items that belonged to Barrie help to tell the story. Elsewhere in the house two rooms have been recreated to appear as they would have done when Barrie was a boy. Along with the wash house, where Barrie rehearsed and performed his childhood plays, these rooms give visitors a sense of what life was like in the busy Barrie household. The house gives a remarkable insight into J M Barrie’s formative childhood years – in which the seeds of Peter Pan were sown. The tragic death of his older brother David in a skating accident left his mother inconsolable and Barrie has written of the times he sat on the cottage stairs and wept. He realised that even when he had grown into a man, his mother would always regard David as ‘the boy who wouldn’t grow up’. The house features furniture, fittings and day-to-day effects which would be familiar to Barrie and his family, as well as memorabilia associated with his later celebrity. Items include Barrie’s cradle; the silk christening robe used for Barrie and his nine siblings, which was also loaned out to other families in the parish; a copy of Barrie’s contract of payment promising the young Princess Margaret royalties of one penny per performance of his last play, The Boy David; the large oak settle from his Adelphi flat; and Barrie’s original desk from his London flat. The house also incorporates an exhibition room with a tableau of the young Barrie being told stories by his mother and examples of the original costumes worn at the first production of Peter Pan. The communal wash-house located outside the house was to play an important part in Barrie’s childhood. He performed his first play there (at the age of seven!) and, according to his dedication in Peter Pan, it was the inspiration behind the house that the Lost Boys built for Wendy in Never-Never Land.

Please note that the museum will open for 2018 season on Saturday 31st March. The Tayside Police Museum is a collection of artefacts, uniforms, photos, badges, etc, from the very beginning of policing in Dundee, Angus, and Perth & Kinross. There are sections on uniform, equipment, communication, offensive weapons, Tayside Police Pipe Band, Special Constables, and much, much more. There is also a feature on William Henry Bury, who in 1889 became the last man hanged in Dundee, and who claimed to be Jack the Ripper

Kirriemuir Camera Obscura, oneof only four in Scotland, and the former cricket pavilion in which it is situated was gifted to the people of Kirriemuir by Sir J M Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. The Camera completely self- funding and is entirely managed and staffed by Kirriemuir Regeneration Group volunteers. Kirriemuir Regeneration Group are a Community group who took over the management of Kirriemuir Camera Obscura as a visitor attraction in 2015 when it was threatened with closure. There is no admission charge but donations towards the attractions upkeep are appreciated.

A museum for the unique town of Kirriemuir, and the beautiful Angus Glens. Situated in the old Town House, which was originally built in 1604, and was once the town's jail and courthouse. A detailed model of the town square in 1604 shows vividly what market day was like hundreds of years ago. Using models, displays and interactive screens you can find out about the past and present, including the life stories of famous Kirriemarians such as Sir J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, and former frontman of rock band AC/DC, Bon Scott.