The Monkey Sanctuary was founded in 1964 by Len Williams, father of John Williams (guitarist), as a cooperative to care for rescued woolly monkeys. Based in Looe, Cornwall, England, the sanctuary is home to woolly monkeys that are descended from the original rescued pets, a growing number of capuchin monkeys rescued from the current UK pet trade, and a small group of rescued Barbary macaques. The monkeys live in large enclosures that the general public can view during the summer months when the sanctuary. There is a colony of rare lesser horseshoe bats living in the cellar of Murrayton House, a 19th-century building that is the visitors' centre and accommodation for staff and volunteers.