Knight & Lee
Encyclopedia
Knight & Lee is a department store
in Southsea
, Hampshire
, England
. The store was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership
in 1934.
The store's origins can be traced back to 1831 with the lace business conducted by William Wink near Portsea Docks. The shop was taken over by Frederick Wink in 1865 to trade as Wink & Co. The business moved to its present Palmerston Road site in 1874 and was bought by Jesse Knight and Herbert Soden Lee, two experienced drapers from London, in 1887. Knight & Lee was made a private company two years later.
In 1910 the varied premises of the store were completely rebuilt to create one unified department store in typical Edwardian style
. This building was completely destroyed by incendiary bombing on 10 January 1941. Business continued thereafter from ten small shops in the Southsea area until the present building was completed in 1956. The Menswear
and Sports departments continued to be housed in separate premises until 2001.
The current department store trades on three floors and offers a wide range of goods and services across many departments. Since the closure of Caleys
, in 2006, Knight & Lee has become the smallest of the John Lewis department stores. A new John Lewis Partnership department store, 'John Lewis Portsmouth', is currently planned on the site of the former Tricorn Centre
in the commercial heart of Portsmouth
, although construction has yet to commence. This new shop is expected to open in 2011 and will mark the closure of Knight & Lee.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The store was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership
John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned UK partnership which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and a number of other services...
in 1934.
The store's origins can be traced back to 1831 with the lace business conducted by William Wink near Portsea Docks. The shop was taken over by Frederick Wink in 1865 to trade as Wink & Co. The business moved to its present Palmerston Road site in 1874 and was bought by Jesse Knight and Herbert Soden Lee, two experienced drapers from London, in 1887. Knight & Lee was made a private company two years later.
In 1910 the varied premises of the store were completely rebuilt to create one unified department store in typical Edwardian style
Edwardian architecture
Edwardian architecture is the style popular when King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was in power; he reigned from 1901 to 1910, but the architecture style is generally considered to be indicative of the years 1901 to 1914....
. This building was completely destroyed by incendiary bombing on 10 January 1941. Business continued thereafter from ten small shops in the Southsea area until the present building was completed in 1956. The Menswear
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
and Sports departments continued to be housed in separate premises until 2001.
The current department store trades on three floors and offers a wide range of goods and services across many departments. Since the closure of Caleys
Caleys
Caleys was a department store in Windsor, Berkshire, England.It opened in the High Street in 1823, when an existing family business transferred from Castle Street, now Castle Hill. For much of the 20th century it was part of department store groups and it acquired royal warrants...
, in 2006, Knight & Lee has become the smallest of the John Lewis department stores. A new John Lewis Partnership department store, 'John Lewis Portsmouth', is currently planned on the site of the former Tricorn Centre
Tricorn Centre
The Tricorn Centre was a Brutalist shopping, apartment, nightclub and car park complex in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It was designed by Owen Luder and Rodney Gordon and took its name from the site's shape which from the air resembled a Tricorne hat. Constructed in the mid-1960s, it was...
in the commercial heart of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, although construction has yet to commence. This new shop is expected to open in 2011 and will mark the closure of Knight & Lee.