Lee-on-the-Solent

Lee-on-the-Solent
Hampshire
The seafront and beach at Lee-on-the-Solent
Location
Grid reference:	SU563005
Location:	50°48’7"N, 1°12’7"W
Data
Population:	7,224  (2016)
Post town:	Lee-on-the-Solent
Postcode:	PO13
Dialling code:	023
Local Government
Council:	Gosport
Parliamentary constituency:	Gosport

Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a seaside village close to Gosport in Hampshire, about five miles west of Portsmouth. The village stands on the coast of the Solent, looking out over the water to the Isle of Wight.

The village is primarily residential, with an upsurge of mostly local visitors in summer, but is well known as the former home to the Royal Naval Air Station named HMS Daedalus (called HMS Ariel from 1959 to 1965), which also known as RNAS Lee-on-Solent.

History

The district gained its name in the 19th century, during attempts to develop the area into a seaside resort. The area had been referenced long before this, referred to as Lee and numerous variations, including Lebritan. Early impetus for the district's development came from Charles Edmund Newton Robinson, who persuaded his father, John Charles Robinson, art curator and collector, to fund the buying of land. Over the period 1884 to 1894 the district was established with the setting out of Marine Parade, a pier, railway connection along with a number of impressive red brick villas. The railway service was discontinued in the 1930s. The pier was breached during the Second World War as part of the coastal defence preparations and was never repaired; it was demolished in 1958.

Lee-on-the Solent has had a long association with aviation. Seaplane trials took place at Lee-on-the-Solent as early as 1915. A base for seaplane training was established in 1917 on the former RNAS Lee-on-Solent, formerly HMS Daedalus, site.

In 1935 the Lee Tower complex was built on the seafront next to the old pier and railway station. It was designed by architects Yates, Cook & Derbyshire, and comprised a white v-shaped Art Deco building with a 120-foot tower. The complex housed a cinema, ballroom and restaurant, as well as a viewing platform at the tower's peak. The complex was demolished in 1971 by Gosport Borough Council, with its land now used for the promenade and remembrance gardens.

Modern times

Large new developments in the 1980s and 1990s, have swelled the population. More recently, 1,050 new units have been built at the Cherque farm area of the town, and further development will take place over the next few years. Elsewhere along Marine Parade, the seafront has lost many of the original villas and hotels to developers.

The Royal Navy|Royal Naval Air Station, HMS Daedalus closed in 1996 but Daedalus Airfield itself remains active as a civil airfield. Over 100 aircraft, helicopters, gliders, microlight and motorgliders are operated at what is now the principal HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter base on the south coast. The airfield is operated by Regional & City Airports Management (RCA) on behalf of the owners, the Homes and Communities Agency. More information about the airfield is available on the website of Lee Flying Association.

A planning application was approved in February 2008 for the construction of a Multi-Purpose Driving Test Centre with Motorcycle Manoeuvring Area (MPTC) from the Driving Standards Agency, inside a part of the Daedalus site.

In 2003, the community of Lee-on-the-Solent received nationwide attention for probably the first time in its 120-year existence. The government had proposed to house asylum-seekers at the former base which forms a large area of the resort. At once, the Daedalus Action Group was formed under the chairmanship of John Beavis to oppose the scheme with the support of a large number of local residents. After a U-turn in government policy, the Home Office decided in February 2004 to abandon the asylum centre plan and the action group celebrated with a rally on the seafront. Channel 4 produced a fly-on-the-wall Dispatches documentary "Keep them out" in 2004 dealing with both sides of the argument.

In early May 2006, twenty unexploded Canadian pipe mines were found under HMS Daedalus during runway repairs. 60 feet long, they were left over from 265, packed with a total of 2,400 lb of gelignite, planted in the Second World War to make the airfield unusable in the event of an enemy invasion. The subsequent removal, thought to be the largest of its kind in peacetime Britain, led to the evacuation of some 900 homes staggered over a five-week period.

The village retains a lively shopping centre, with a varied selection of independent shops and restaurants and is a popular destination for jet-skiers and kite surfers.

A new bypass has recently been completed to link up the B3385 and the B3333 and forms a bypass to Lee-on-the-Solent.

The train has long since gone from the seafront, clearing the coastal cliffs for walking, leisure and parking. The cliffs are interrupted by the former railway station buildings, the war memorial and the seafront bus stop/parking area opposite the end of Pier Street. This is where the Lee Tower used to stand.

In August 2011 the government announced that the Daedalus airfield would host an enterprise zone named the Solent Enterprise Zone. The CEMAST (Centre of Excellence in Engineering & Manufacturing Advanced Skills Training) campus on the airfield is now open to students. The centre caters for full and part-time students undertaking apprenticeship programmes for companies such as BAE systems and Virgin Atlantic.

About the village

The views out to sea from the cliffs at Marine Parade are forever changing and are always interesting. From a vantage point on the grassy banks, it is possible to see shipping movements of large container ships and cruisers into Southampton and Portsmouth, sailing boats, ferries and of course the backdrop of the Isle of Wight.

The seafront on Marine Parade East is where the Club House is situated for the Lee on the Solent Sailing Club LOSSC.

At the signal station, where the racing starts and finishes can be found a smaller galley that can provide light snacks and soft drinks for the people involved in racing or training of adults and youngsters at the weekend. It is a RYA accredited Sailing School and is open to visitors and day sailors alike. Boats can be hired if you would like to get on the water during hot summers.

On Marine Parade West main sea front stands the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Lee-on-Solent Memorial erected to commemorate the 1,926 men of the Fleet Air Arm who died in various parts of the world in World War II and have no known grave.

Lee-on-the-Solent is the home to the Hovercraft Museum which houses the world's largest collection of rare hovercraft including some of the earliest and largest. It can be found on the main road along the seafront and hosts an open day every summer. From 2016 it is now open every Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Further towards Gosport is the area known as Browndown. It is a former army firing range and makes an interesting walk in summer. There are many old relics to explore, and it is not unknown to find large jellyfish washed up on the shore. Browndown army camp was the setting for the ITV television series Bad Lads Army. Browndown army camp is also used as a summer activity camp for young cadets from all over the country. Beyond Browndown eastwards, is the commonly regarded more affluent district and village of Alverstoke and seafront known as Stokes Bay.

Lee is also home to a few pubs such as The Old Ship, The Bun Penny, The Wyvern and The Inn by the Sea. The district is home to a number of good quality pubs, but some have since closed being demolished to make way for housing and retirement developments, noticeably the Belle Vue Hotel, a popular sea front bar, hotel and restaurant and The Swordfish which was located on the border between Lee-on-the-Solent and Hill Head, Fareham.

Sport and leisure

• Tennis: Lee-on-the-Solent Tennis Club: includes a small bar, a gym, six squash courts (two glass-backed), 6 tennis courts and a sports therapist.
• Parkrun: launched here in 2015
• Watersports

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Lee-on-the-Solent)

• Lee-on-the-Solent, old photos, Gosport.info
• Hovercraft museum website
• Daedalus Airfield Airfield operators
• Lee Flying Association (LFA)
• Lee-on-the-Solent Residents' Association (LoSRA)
• What's on around Lee-on-the-Solent, events, weather, tide, photos, for sale
• Hampshire Aeroplane Club
• Lee-on-the-Solent Parkrun

References

Lesley Burton and Brian Musselwhite: 'The Book of Gosport'

• Ron Brown: 'The Story of Lee-on-the-Solent'
• Robin A. Money and John W. Green: 'Exploring the History of Lee-on-the-Solent'