Packing sardines into the 'coffins'. The Pilchard Works, Newlyn, Cornwall, England.

Salted pilchards have been exported from Cornwall to the continent since the 16th century and the 'Pilchard Works' in Newlyn has been selling this traditional product to the same Italian family since 1905.

Since becoming a 'working museum' in 1995 it has won two national awards but on 28/10/05 it closed down due to a decline in the demand for this kind of presentation.

The custom of pressing salted, whole-ungutted fish, with heads still attached into wooden containers has now been superseded by more modern packaging and freezing techniques.

As the 'Pilchard Works' was the last establishment in the U.K. to employ these methods, what was once the mainstay of the Cornish fishing industry has now gone forever.