Peter Pan Statue

Public Art: Peter Pan Statue

Sculptor: © Sir George Frampton. The replicas were cast from the original mould of the famous Peter Pan statue which is located in London's Kensington Gardens in England.

Date: 1927

Description: Based on J.M. Barrie's immortal character, Peter Pan, this bronze statue features Peter standing on a tree stump playing a flute (supposedly a set of pan pipes) whilst a collection of fairies, rabbits, squirrels and other little creatures adorn the base. The main fairy is believed to be Tinker Bell reaching towards Peter. Frampton described his masterpiece as follows; "The animals and fairies on the statue are listening to the Pipes of Pan, one of the mice is completing his toilet before going up to listen to the music, and the squirrel is discussing political matters with two of the fairies."

Location: Queens Gardens is located on the corner of Hay and Plain Streets, East Perth, Western Australia. The statue can be found just inside the main gates on Plain Street.

Purchased By: Members and friends of the Rotary Club of Perth.

Background: Sir George Frampton was commissioned in 1912 by author James M. Barrie to create a statue based on Barrie's famous character, Peter Pan. In typical Barrie fashion he didn't inform anyone of his intentions and simply erected it in the park under the cover of night, where it remains to this day.

History: In 1927 the Peter Pan replica statue was presented to the children of Western Australia by the members and friends of the Rotary Club of Perth. The statue is a replica of Sir George Frampton's famous Peter Pan statue which is located in London's Kensington Gardens in England and is one of only seven made from the original mould.

Where are they now? :

1. Kensington Gardens, London, England, Peter Pan - The original and much loved statue of Peter Pan was commissioned by the author himself. Peter's pipe is often stolen but it is always promptly replaced.

2. Sefton Park, Liverpool Peter Pan - Unveiled in 1928 the statue was so badly vandalized it had to be fully restored. The pipe and one squirrel were missing and a fairy had half her head hacked off. The Liverpool Council were too scared to put the statue back in the park so it is currently in storage.

3. Egmont Park, Brussels, Belgium, Peter Pan - Presented to the country in 1924 by sculptor Frampton following World War One. The inscription translates to "A bond of friendship between the children of Great Britain and the children of Belgium". Today the statue is in a pretty poor state and bears the scars of a few bullet holes (compliments of World War II ).

4. Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, Peter Pan - Located outside the Walt Whitman Arts Center it still remains in fine condition.

5. Bowring Park, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, Peter Pan - This statue was commissioned in 1925 by Sir Edgar Rennie Bowring in memory of his granddaughter who died at sea. The inscription reads “In memory of a little girl who loved the Park.”

6. Glenn Gould Park, Toronto, Canada, Peter Pan - This statue was erected in 1929 by the College Heights Association.

7. Queen's Gardens, Perth, Western Australia, Peter Pan - Erected in 1927 , the statue was presented to the children of Western Australia by the members and friends of the Rotary Club of Perth. Today it still remains a much loved feature of the park and is often swarmed with camera laden tourists.

Interesting Trivia: When the original Peter Pan statue was completed by Sir George Frampton, the author J.M.Barrie (who commissioned the statue), who not only failed to get permission to place it in Kensington Gardens, he insisted that it be erected in the middle of the night to give the illusion it appeared by magic.

The base of the replica statues are signed by J.M. Barrie the author of Peter Pan and not by the sculptor Sir George Frampton.

J.M.Barrie wanted Peter Pan to be modelled on a young Michael Davies. Even though he sent photographs of Michael, Frampton based his sculpture on another boy, either James W. Shaw or William A. Harwood (depending on what you read).