Barrie's Pavilion - Kirriemuir, Angus. - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This wooden sign can be found outside The Pavilion on The Hill at Kirriemuir in Angus, Scotland. The Pavilion was a gift to the town from the famous local playwright J.M. Barrie in 1930 and houses one of the three Camera Obscuras in Scotland. The sign lies on part of the Kirriemuir Heritage Trail and the text reads as follows:

'"My love for cricket began..."

Sir James Matthew Barrie spent his early years in a weaver's cottage on Brechin Road just south of the hill. As a Boy growing up he and his friends would often head up to the hill to watch the local cricket team perform and to play cricket themselves with makeshift equipment such as homemade bats and a flat boulder as a wicket. According to Barrie "the wickets were iron and could not be knocked down - they were the railings of the cemetery gate on the hill"!

A lifelong love affair with cricket was born which went along with an exceptional knowledge of the game, although he was not blessed with much talent for it. This did not stop him from forming a team of enthusiastic if not always skilled players, made up mostly from writers and some actors.

This team he called "Allahakbarries" after the Arabic 'Allahakbar' in the mistaken belief this meant 'heaven help us' rather than 'God is great'. Notable figures included Arthur Conan Doyle, A.A. Milne, Walter Raleigh, PG Wodehouse, Jerome K Jerome and E.V. Lucas. The team played for the love of the game and for fun rather than winning. Barrie wrote two small books about their team, in the first describing his own role:

"This Hill of Memories..."

The Cricket Pavilion on the Hill was gifted by Barrie to the people of Kirriemuir "...in memory of happy days and of friendships formed there..." On the day of the opening on 7 June 1930 Barrie was presented first with the Freedom of Kirriemuir in the Town Hall.

Thousands of people then witnessed the opening of the pavilion on the Hill, where Barrie delivered the opening speech on the pavilion steps.

To round off the proceedings a cricket match took place between the Allahkabarries and the West of Scotland team, which was won by the Allahkabarries by six wickets and 38 runs.

"Camera Obscura"

Contained in Barrie's Pavilion is also a Camera Obscura, one of only three remaining in Scotland today. A Camera Obscura is an optical device where an image is projected by light passing through a small hole in a darkened room or box. Here it is a purpose built room where the surrounding views are projected onto circular viewing table with the help of lenses and mirrors. The panoramic views cover the Grampian foothills and Angus Glens, the Sidlaws and Strathmore and on a clear day Ben Lawers (47 miles) and even Ben Lui (71 miles distance) can be seen.

The Camera Obscura is operated by the National Trust for Scotland and can be visited in the summer months.'