Old Guildhall Museum & Gaol

The Old Guildhall Museum and Gaol is contained in a 15th Century listed building with a fascinating display of Looe’s past.
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This includes
Fishing & Boat Building
Smuggling
Looe Island
The Looe Valley Railway Line
Tourism
World War II
Court room regalia

​The building itself is a marvellous exhibit on its own, as it retains many of its Medieval features, with ancient cells and the original raised magistrates bench, complete with the Royal Coat of Arms, from when the local court was held there.

With exhibits from many eras, there’s no shortage of things to look at. Our building, built in 1450 is our greatest artefact, and as you enter look up at the pillories at the top of our entrance and the beams as you enter the building. Look out for our immersive smuggling cabinet, the Court and Gaol with the stories of Court cases from the past which you can act out at the Magistrates Court, Regalia, stories of WWI and WWII, a display of the Canal and Railway in Looe, RNLI artefacts and Raddy photos and cameras, as well as the stories of the Edwardians in Looe and much more besides, including a large archive of old photographs.
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The museum is spread over two floors and you enter into the upper floor of the building, which from 1587 to 1878, was the East Looe Town Hall and Magistrates Court. Beneath the magnificent timber-framed roof, laws were made and enforced, and the town was administered by the Mayor and Corporation, known as Burgesses.

Downstairs, you will find the two cells used to hold the criminals of Looe in the past. This really was a case of 'send them down' from the court above. Go into the one that is open and see what a small space it was for the prisoners. There was no exercise yard for them so it was not a pleasant experience!

Dogs are welcome on a lead. Please check our website for seasonal opening hours.