On the 1st of May 1912 anyone walking through Kensington Gardens would have been given quite the surprise.
J.M. Barrie had his now famous bronze statue of his creation Peter Pan erected overnight without permission so that it might appear to children that the fairies had put it in place overnight. He published a notice in The Times newspaper on the 1st May that read:
“There is a surprise in store for the children who go to Kensington Gardens to feed the ducks in the Serpentine this morning. Down by the little bay on the south-western side of the tail of the Serpentine they will find a May-day gift by Mr J.M. Barrie, a figure of Peter Pan blowing his pipe on the stump of a tree, with fairies and mice and squirrels all around. It is the work of Sir George Frampton, and the bronze figure of the boy who would never grow up is delightfully conceived.”
105 years later J.M. Barrie’s gift never ceases to inspire. Back in January I got to live out a dream that I had since a child to see the statue in person and will be one of the most special moments of my entire life.
I’ll be honest though, I don’t think thats the last I’ve seen of that statue. Thanks J.M. Barrie!
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