Selling Neverland: The manor where JM Barrie holidayed with the boys who inspired Peter Pan yours for £675,000 JM Barrie's holiday home in Wales is on the market for £675,000 Glanhafren Hall has six bedrooms, three reception rooms and ten acres land Author would holiday with the boys who inspired him to write Peter Pan Author and playwright J. M. Barrie created his best-known character, Peter Pan, to entertain the offspring of friends who lived near him in London. When the five little Llewelyn Davies boys were orphaned in 1910, Barrie became their unofficial guardian and each summer took them on holiday to Glanhafren Hall. The sumptuous Georgian manor is on the edge of Newtown, in picturesque sheep-farming country in Powys, mid-Wales. In an idyllic echo of Neverland, Peter Pan's home, Barrie and the youngsters would fish in the River Severn below the house or play croquet on the lawns. And in the evenings, Barrie would direct the children in plays. Grand: Glanfraen Hall, returned to its Georgian splendour and on the market for £675,000, is where Peter Pan author JM Barrie would spend his summers Now, the scene of those blissful holidays - or at least the major part of Glanhafren Hall - is up for sale, with a price tag of £675,000. In the Fifties, part of the house was converted into three two-bedroom flats, leaving the remaining, larger part with six bedrooms, three grand reception rooms and ten acres of land running down to the river. By the mid-Nineties, the house had been empty and decaying for almost a decade and was bought by a local builder, who set about restoring it. "Halfway through the work, however, his wife thought there was a ghost in here and said she would never move in," says current owner Peter Oak, 62. So we bought it ten years ago for £450,000. It's not haunted. In fact, it's the friendliest house we've ever lived in," says Peter, who runs a storage business in Telford. His wife Theresa, 58, says: "It was a wreck when we moved in. One of the tanks had leaked upstairs, so all the centre of the house was black with mould. It's been a real labour of love, but we've done it before in previous houses and have a passion for it. Conversion: The owners spent ten years restoring Glanfraen Hall from top to bottom, so it now reminds of the days of JM Barrie's holidays Great rooms: Glanhafren Hall has six bedrooms, three reception rooms and ten acres of land running along the nearby river Tradition: The drawing room with original part-stained-glass windows Rolling hills: Peter and Theresa Oak are selling JM Barries holiday home Glanhafren Hall, on the edge of Newtown, mid-Wales The couple bought the whole building, so started living in one of the flats, which had been modernised, and began work. "We've done it all very sympathetically and spent about £150,000," says Peter. We had to put in new electrics and plumbing and new bathrooms, but we put everything else back as it was. The previous owner had replaced the roof, the guttering and the chimneys to a really high standard - we just had to do the interior. The drawing room, with its delightful part-stained-glass windows, was used for tea dances 70 years ago, and now the couple use it for their own parties. "It's been quite a society house in its day and is great for entertaining," says Theresa. It's also handy for town - the theatre's within walking distance - and there are good schools nearby. Inspiration: J.M. Barrie writing at his desk in Adelphi Terrace House - but it was in Wales he spent his summers, imagining the adventures of Peter Pan Fun and games: Author JM Barrie playing croquet at the hall with one of the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired him to write Peter Pan In spite of its name, Newtown is old: the Romans had a garrison here and drovers brought sheep to the market for centuries, until its recent closure. Laura Ashley opened her first shop 20 miles away in Machynlleth and the firm's headquarters are in Newtown. The result of Peter and Theresa's efforts is splendid and faithful to the original, with ornate plaster ceiling cornices and roses. But the real grandeur of the house lies in the scale of its rooms and their views, as well as a dramatic spiral staircase in the entrance hall. The large reception rooms are a particular delight and the main sitting room, with its beamed ceiling, panelled fireplace and dark wood floors, is evocative of its era. While the new kitchen is not particularly big, it could easily be doubled in size by knocking through to the utility room behind. There are also cellars, a study and four bathrooms. "We didn't know very much about J. M. Barrie when we came here, but it's become a very important part of owning this house," says Peter. "We breed dressage and showjumping horses and need more land," he explains. We've bought some land in South Shropshire and we plan to build a house there when this is sold. Fine and Country, Newtown, 01686 623123.