The Egyptian House

A rare survivor of that splendid era, The Egyptian House is probably one of Cornwall’s most flamboyantly designed buildings with is ornate lotus columns and stylised cornices. In amongst the traditional Egyptian symbolism and sphinx-like adornments, you can find the royal coat of arms of George III and William IV.John Lavin lived in the upstairs part of the house, while housing his mineral collection on the ground floor. His extensive collection was eventually sold by his son and it is understood that it has since been donated to the Oxford University Museum.The building had fallen into disrepair by the 1960s, but was purchased by The Landmark Trust in 1968 and restored to its original glory by 1973. The upstairs apartments are available as holiday lets from the trust.Downstairs is home to Pure Nuff Stuff, Penzance's own natural cosmetics company. The shop is open every day during Summer - you can watch the products being made on one side of the building and browse the shop on the other side.