welcome to knight & lee

“one of Southsea’s most recognisable buildings”

Located in the heart of Southsea and with over 200 years of history, the Knight & Lee building has a rich heritage that is interwoven with the local community.

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In the building

HOTEL

A 72 room independently themed boutique hotel that will cater to guests seeking unique stays.

CINEMA

In collaboration with Curzon Cinemas, we bring you an intimate and cosy cinema experience.

FOODHALL

A new food hall where local vendors will serve up next level street food.

WORKSPACE

Creative coworking and private office space provided by the team at THIS Workspace.

R1SE

With a state of the art lighting and sound system, R1SE is the vibrant, high energy, city vibe gym coming to Knight & Lee.

The story of how Knight & Lee came to be..

A brief history.

Frederick Wink moved his lace business to the more fashionable Palmerston Road in Southsea.

Brothers-in-law Jesse Knight and Edward Lee purchase the business.

They purchased a former fishmongers on the corner of Stanley Lane and Palmerston Road which subsequently joined a row of stores under one umbrella.

The John Lewis Partnership purchase the business, keeping the Knight & Lee name.

On the 10th January 1941, the entirety of the shop was burnt to the floor.The busines was in literal ruins.

By the 1950’s, out of a necessity to survive, Knight & Lee was trading out of ten shops around Palmerston Road.

The brand new Knight and Lee store opens on the 24th September 1956, 15 years after being burned to the ground.

The John Lewis Partnership announces the closure of the Knight & Lee store in Southsea. The store traded for more than 150 years.

PRESENT DAY

On the 23 January 2019 it was announced that the store had been purchased by THAT Group and would close in July.

As the original Knight & Lee store once revolutionised retail in Southsea, THAT Group will reinvent the Knight & Lee building into new destination brand.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

“EVERY NEW BEGINNING COMES FROM ANOTHER BEGINNING'S END”

We are proud to now be part of this history and are committed to the idea that the building is to remain an important fixture of Southsea. The planned renovation and change to a Tapestry Hotel bearing the Knight & Lee name will enable this building of historical importance to once more come to life and become a cornerstone of the community.

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but wait there's more!

Other areas

BAR

As well as the Food Hall K&L will boast an exciting new bar area boasting a very unique feature. Stay tuned.

PARLOUR

Our Parlour will be the perfect place to hang-out, host meetings and enjoy casual cuisine.

LOBBY

Our lobby will be the beating heart of Knight & Lee. The perfect place to hang-out and watch the world go by.

who's involved?

The best Caribbean jerk restaurant on the South Coast, we look forward to welcoming Natty's Jerk Kitchen to the Food Hall lineup.

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Curzon Cinemas are a chain of cinemas based in the United Kingdom, mostly in London, specialising in art house films.

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