Learning
Our Story
The Old Sardine Factory building re-opened in July 2018, after a £1.7 million restoration project by Looe Harbour Commissioners to breathe new life in an old, derelict Grade 2 listed building. In the Heritage Centre, you can see a time-lapse film of how this was achieved.
Gain insight through images and anecdotes from our archive to learn how the Sardine Factory fits into the history of Looe. Book a ticket to visit us and you can spend time reading and looking at these to gain a better understanding all about our story.
For more details, see our Visit page.
Group Tours
Tours of the Heritage Centre give a unique insight into the rich maritime history of Looe and the sardine factory building itself.
We are happy to arrange private Guided tours to larger groups.
This can be organised during the day on weekdays or weekends, and sometimes in the evening. It is usually best to avoid school holiday weekdays.
Our Coffee Shop can also offer pre-paid offer Cream Tea and refreshments options.
For more details, see please Contact us page.
Education Workshops & Tours
Our popular popular 3-4 hour Workshops had to cease in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic, but we are pleased to offer them again in 2022.
Aimed at KS2, we use the Heritage Centre's exhibits and artefacts to explain all about sardine fishing and the importance of this building to Looe. This leads on to an interactive activity all about sustainability in the oceans, with a talk and demonstration given by Angela Harrison (Pengelly).
Plus, there’s a showing of our Splatt the Seagull ‘Let’s Go Fishing’ video, specially commissioned by Looe Harbour for the Heritage Centre.
We finish with a ‘Bridge Building’ exercise to emphasise the importance of co-operation, specifically between East and West Looe. We work with teachers to decide when your group would like comfort and lunch breaks.
Schools, Home Ed and Youth Groups have all taken part on our Educational programme events.
We also offer a 1-hour Educational Tour option.
Costs range between £3- £5 per student per workshop, teachers/group leaders are free.
Contact us for more information.
Our venue is fully accessible.
Talks
We are back to hosting a full programme of talks and events to audiences at the Heritage Centre in summer 2022. Full details on our Events page.
Popular events have included: ‘Boat Building in Looe’, ‘A History of Looe Island’, ‘Fishing and Fishermen’, ‘Sharking Legends’ and ‘Spooks and Smugglers’.
You can sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date.
Oral History
We are working with Kresen Kernow to build a digital online collection of all the oral history recordings made at our events and from interviews with local maritime folk. If you’re interested, do sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date.
Volunteering
We offer a wide range of volunteering opportunities. Volunteers are needed for the 2022 season to help with stewarding in the Heritage Centre itself. Contact us to get involved!
