Knight & Lee, former department store in Southsea, England
Knight & Lee is a department store in Portsmouth that opened in stages between 1956 and 1959. The three-story building features large glass windows, distinctive brickwork with decorative corner details, and retains original interior elements including spiral staircases, terrazzo floors, and 1950s mosaics.
The original business began in 1831 as a lace-making venture and expanded significantly over time. John Lewis Partnership acquired the company in 1934, and after bomb damage during World War II destroyed the earlier shops, the current building was constructed in the 1950s to serve the growing retail operation.
Knight & Lee began as a lace business in 1831 and grew into a major shopping destination for the community. The store served as a gathering place where locals shopped and met, becoming woven into the social fabric of Portsmouth's retail life over many decades.
The building is located on Palmerston Road, a busy shopping street in Southsea, making it easy to find among other nearby shops. Visitors should take time to observe the brick corner details and large display windows from outside, and can explore the interior and its original features when the store is open.
The building was among the smaller department stores in the John Lewis chain, yet was designed with remarkable efficiency despite its compact footprint, featuring additional levels for offices and storage beyond the three main shopping floors. Its scale required inventive use of every space for displays and merchandise, making it a notable example of 1950s retail design problem-solving.
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