Part of the
Acorn Archive
Penzance,
Cornwall
Architecture
and Heritage
Egyptian House
and John Lavin
Egyptian
House, Penzance
Nr
6-7, Chapel Street (originally Lady Street), Penzance, Cornwall
Now
a shop with apartments above, the building was constructed around 1836 for John
Lavin, who required the building to display his collection of minerals. Its
present colouring has been restored to the original, determined by careful
stripping of old layers of paint.
There
has been some speculation as to the architect of the building and, whilst there
is no evidence in either direction, it has been supposed that he was the same
architect that designed the impressive collection of extraordinary buildings in
Devonport, based upon motifs newly acquired by contemporary society, namely
John Foulston.
After
Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt, between 1798 and 1801, Egyptian art and style
became a popular source for architectural ideas. Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly was
the first complete building in the Egyptian style, in Britain. Britain was
beguiled by the Description d'Egypte, the engravings of 1809-28, which first
brought the Pyramids and the Sphinx to European eyes. Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly
was demolished in 1905.
The
building at Penzance is on property previously owned by James Tregarthen,
Master Mariner, of St Mary’s Isles of Scilly. The land and buildings were
purchased 3rd April 1835 by John Lavin. The dating of the building
is dictated solely by the presence of the Royal Arms of William IV.
In
1841 the building was known as Egyptian Hall. See the Census records below.
John
Foulston had already created the Classical and Mathematical School at Ker
Street at Devonport, in the Egyptian style, in 1823.
Another
“contender” would be Peter Frederick Robinson, architect of the Egyptian Hall at Number 22, Piccadilly
(South side, opposite Bond Street and owned by William Bullock) in 1812. Peter
Robinson had re-designed Trelissick 1825. There is a striking resemblance
between the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly and that at Penzance.
It
has to be said that the Egyptian style building (later named Oddfellows Hall)
designed by John Foulston at Devonport bears no resemblance at all to the
Penzance Egyptian House. GC Boase, in
his Reminiscences of Penzance, states “About
1839, Mr Edward Lavin erected in Chapel Street, opposite the Union Hotel, a new
house, planned in imitation of the Egyptian Hall, Picadilly, London. Few had,
at this ante-railway period, been in London; and the house, from its peculiar
ornamentation, excited considerable interest.”. These notes were written in 1883-1884, taken from personal memory.
Notwithstanding the error as to the Christian name, this contemporaneous report
should be given credance.
Egyptian Hall,
Piccadilly
[ from an engaving of T H Shepherd ]
Classical and
Mathematical School, Devonport
[ from and engraving by T Allom 1838 ]
John Lavin married Frances Roberts of Paul 5th
February 1822 at Illogan.
John Lavin died in 1956.
Frances Lavin
died 19th March 1864, age 61.
Their only child, Edward was a minerologist and printer.
The whole of the collection was sold to Baroness Burdett Coutts, and she gave
the collection to Oxford University Museum. Edward Lavin was the owner of
Mount’s Bay Hotel on the Esplanade, Penzance.
Edward Lavin married Mary Jane Herneman in 1848,
they had two children, a daughter (died young),
and a son John Lavin, a biscuit maker, who moved to
Adelaide South Australia;
died 2 May 1881;
Mary Jane Lavin died 1860.
1841 Census
for Penzance
Egyptian Hall, John Lavin, 45, Millener's J; Frances Lavin, 30;
Edward Lavin, 18, Bookbinders Ap.; John (Jnr) Lavin,17,Carpenters
Ap.
also
Egyptian Hall, Wm. Pascoe, 65, Grocer; Hodgson Pascoe, 20, Watchmaker;
John Pascoe, 22, Attorney,S Clerk; Sophia Pascoe, 24, Draper's
Sh;
Mary Pascoe, 20, Domestic
Ensign Pascoe, brother of Hodgson Pascoe,
together with his wife and two children,
were massacred at Mohaka NZ in April 1869.
1851 Census
for Penzance
Chapel Street, John Lavin, 55, Mineralogist, Merthyr
Glamorganshire
Frances Lavin, 48, Domestic Duties, Illogan
also
Chapel Street, Edward Lavin, 28, Printer, Penzance;
Mary Jane Lavin, 39, Printer’s Wife, Penzance
1861 Census
for Penzance
Chapel Street, Frances Lavin, W, 58, Mineralogist, PoolEdward Lavin, Son, W, 38, Mineralogist
Raymond
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