Lee-on-the-Solent gained its name from the river Lee, a small stream that flows from Peel Common into the Solent, which was originally used to name three hamlets along its length. Two of the hamlets, Lower Lee and Middle Lee, were to become Lee-on-the-Solent, while a third hamlet (known as Upper Lee) was to become Peel Common. From the 19th century onward, there were attempts to develop Lee-on-the-Solent as a resort. Early impetus 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, Marine Parade, a pier and a railway terminus were built. The railway service was discontinued in the 1930s and the pier, unrepaired after breaching in aid of coastal defence in World War II, was demolished in 1958. In 1935 the Lee Tower complex was built on the seafront next to the old pier and railway station. Designed by architects Yates, Cook & Derbyshire, it comprised a v-shaped white building in Art Deco style housing a cinema and ballroom, with a 120-foot tower at the apex. It was demolished in 1971. Large new developments in the Cherque Farm area of the town have been built, and further development will take place over the next few years. With commanding views of the Solent and across the Isle of Wight, Lee seafront quite rightly was packed with families and people enjoying the beach nearly all year round. From Browndown right the way along as far as Hill Head in the west you would be hard pushed to find a spot to sit and enjoy yourself. Now it is rarely this busy, the seafront train has long since gone from the seafront with its station turned into a collection of beach huts, tucked away behind the car park near the location where the Lee Tower used to stand. More on Lee-on-the-Solent 

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