The Egyptian House

Staying in Penzance. Our hotel is on Chapel Street, see extra- which is a very interesting part of old Penzance. This building is further up the street. It has been restored by the Landmark Trust and can be rented. The first floor apartment is the smaller of the three Landmarks within the Egyptian House. It dates from about 1835 and the front elevation is very similar to that of the former Egyptian Hall in Picadilly, designed by P. F. Robinson. Robinson or Foulston of Plymouth are the most likely candidates for its design, though there is no evidence to support the claim of either. 
It was built for John Lanvin as a museum and geological repository. Why was there a geological shop here? Although picked over by Victorians, the beaches at Penzance still hold every kind of pebble, from quartz to chalcedony. When the Landmark Trust acquired the building in 1968, its colossal façade, with lotus bud capitals and enrichments of a proprietary artificial stone, concealed two small granite houses above shops, solid and with a pleasant rear elevation but very decrepit interiors. During  work to the front, these were reconstructed  as three compact apartments, the highest of which has a view, through a small window and over the chimney pots of the town, of Mounts Bay and St Michael’s Mount.
We went to our favourite Art Gallery today - Penlee House, explored the town - see extra- and had a meal further up Chapel Street tonight. Another birthday done and dusted.
The weather was ‘smeechy’ though. Cornish usage for drizzle, and mist
Looking forward to a swim tomorrow in the open air lido - geothermal heated section.