_Suffolk's Peter Pan-inspired village Thorpeness

With Peter Pan islands, boats in every shade of the rainbow, and plenty of secrets to uncover, Thorpeness is the mock Tudor holiday resort in a village that is Suffolk’s very own version of Neverland.

As you enter Thorpeness you’ll be forgiven for thinking you’ve stepped into a time warp… maybe to the 16th century. A time warp that has a house seemingly floating in the air.

Thorpeness, in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape, was the dream of wealthy Scottish barrister Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie whose father, having made his fortune building railways around the world, began buying land on the Suffolk coast north of Aldeburgh in 1859.

Originally a fishing hamlet called Thorpe, with local gossip saying it was a route for smugglers, it was seen by Ogilvie as the perfect place to create a playful and exclusive holiday village for his family and friends. Once complete, he renamed it Thorpeness to distinguish it from all the other Thorpes in East Anglia, and one of the most unique villages in the country was born.

Ogilvie’s elite private fantasy holiday resort played host to his friends' and colleagues' families during the summer months and they could enjoy a country club with tennis courts, a swimming pool, a golf club designed by the eminent James Braid with its own club house, and many holiday homes built in Jacobean and Tudor Revival styles. This is the Thorpeness you see today.

A railway station, built by the Great Eastern Railway to serve what was expected to be an expanding resort, opened a few days before the outbreak of the first world war but only attracted a few golfers and was closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching Cuts.

A water tower for the village, built in 1923, was deemed an eyesore so was clad in wood to make it look like a small house on top of a five-storey tower. Known to all as the ‘House in the Clouds’ it was transformed, after mains water was installed in the village, into a huge games room with views over the land from Aldeburgh to Sizewell.

The idea for the Thorpeness Meare was sparked by one of Ogilvie’s close friends, or rather one of their books. J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, knew the barrister well, and it was Barrie’s tales of the Neverland that inspired him to create the Meare. This is why, when you explore the tiny islands, coves and creeks, you’ll find the Pirate’s Lair, Wendy’s Home, and Captain’s House amongst many others. The eagle-eyed may even spot a crocodile in between the trees, not ticking though, thankfully.

Including the islands and surrounds, the Meare covers over sixty acres of ground, and the whole thing was dug out by hand. The wages for building the embankments was 12/6 (62 1/2p) per week, and for digging out the Meare was 3/6 (17  1/2p) per day, with the men getting a small allowance for water boots which were made of leather.

It may be wide, but at no point is it more than three feet deep, Ogilvie’s intention was that children from a very young age could learn to play on the water in comparative safety.

The edge of the Meare by Haven Bay was a favourite of the Peter Pan author and was referred to as the Barrie Walk.

The Meare was an instant success when it opened in June 1913, with thousands of people enjoying rowing, sailing and punting.

A century on and the Meare is still a fantastic water playground. It’s open every summer until the end of October half-term, and these days there are over 100 boats for hire including rowing boats, kayaks, canoes, punts, dinghies and sailing boats meaning there is a vessel to suit everyone. Some of the boats are originals from the opening of the Meare and were named by the local workmen who had dug the lake.

The Meare was once dubbed ‘The Child’s Paradise’ by Ogilvie, and despite the long intervening years, the name still fits.

Every August the Meare serves as the location for the Thorpeness Regatta, which has been held since 1913, and is accompanied by decorated boats and fireworks in the evening.

For three generations Thorpeness remained in the private ownership of the Ogilvie family, with some of the houses being sold to friends as holiday homes. In 1972, Alexander Stuart Ogilvie, Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie's grandson, died on the Thorpeness Golf Course and most of the houses, the golf course and country club had to be sold to pay death duties.

You can stay at Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel.