For pop icon Michael Jackson the Neverland Ranch was a magical place of innocence and fun, but his bizarre home was also central to shocking allegations that he molested young boys.

Jackson, who died on Thursday aged 50, considered the 1050-hectare estate a retreat from the world, but it came under intense scrutiny — both from the public and the courts — after a 13-year-old boy claimed that the "King of Pop" molested him there.

The eccentric estate was named after Peter Pan's fantasy island, and adorned throughout with nods to Jackson's obsession with childhood.

The estate has now mostly fallen into disrepair, and has changed from the place it once was.

Children at play

Once a little beyond the estate's entrance gate and the wooden fence, a yellow sign proclaimed there were "Children at Play."

A small road led over the rolling hills that hid the main property from sight, and a large golden gate let visitors into the main area, circled by an electric train named Katherine after the star's mother.

In front of the main residence, the name "Neverland" was spelled over a huge flower-bedecked clock. Inside the 1300m² Tudor-style mansion, the decor used to be stunningly eclectic.

Medieval suits of armour and crystal chandeliers graced the residence, as did statues of "Superman" and other movie characters, as well as posters of child actors.

Brightly coloured paintings portrayed a messianic Jackson leading hundreds of beaming children of all nations to an apparently better future.

Statues of children at play dotted the property, including one of Peter Pan, the boy who wouldn't grow up and who Jackson claimed was his inspiration.

Looming large was the amusement park, complete with bumper cars, Ferris wheel and other rides.

The estate also housed a video game arcade, a movie theatre and a private zoo that once boasted an elephant, a camel, a lion, llamas and other animals.

Fans from around the country and world gathered outside Neverland throughout Jackson's trial in 2005 on charges related to the molestation accusations to show their support for the musical icon, and many rushed to the ranch after he was acquitted to voice their happiness.

Never out of the headlines

But even after Jackson was acquitted on all the charges against him, Neverland continued to make headlines.

In January 2006, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) filed a complaint with the US Department of Agriculture, charging that the exotic animals in the Neverland zoo were being mistreated.

Department officials inspected the estate's menagerie but found no evidence of abuse or neglect.

In March of that year, after Jackson left the United States for Bahrain, the estate made news when Californian authorities shut it down after workers complained they had not been paid in months.

Jackson agreed to pay more than $300 000 in back wages to avoid a civil lawsuit, though he had virtually abandoned his home by then, taking up residence in Bahrain.

In 2007, financial troubles once again jeopardized Neverland's future when it emerged Jackson had put his dream home up as collateral on $23-million loan.

The estate was saved when a company bought the debt, but Jackson never moved back into the Neverland Ranch, instead living between Bahrain, Europe and Las Vegas.

More recently, the pop star was living in a rented home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles.

It was there that Jackson suffered what is believed to have been the cardiac arrest caused his death at UCLA Medical Centre on Thursday.

AFP