Lee Knight started his time-travel novel under Fareham's railway bridge in 1998. It is out on 20 November, with the creek and Portland Chambers in it.
Lee Knight was a teenager in 1998 when he sat under the railway bridge at Fareham Creek and started writing a story. Nearly three decades later the same spot opens his first novel, Timeline: The Boy in the Lake, which comes out on 20 November.
The book is a time-travel mystery, romance and historical adventure that moves between 1998 and 1906. Much of it is set in Fernham, a fictional town built from the streets, buildings and history of Fareham, where he grew up.
“In many ways, the novel is my love letter to Fareham,” he told us.
Fareham Creek becomes Tyne Lake
In the book the creek and the railway bridge become Tyne Lake and the Tyne Bridge. It is where the main character, Ryan Blake, falls into the water and is carried from 1998 back to 1906.
“There is also a very personal story behind that location,” Lee said. “The original idea for this story began when I was a teenager in 1998. I actually sat underneath the railway bridge and started writing the story there. Nearly three decades later, that same location has become one of the most important places in the finished novel.”
A Town Hall and a courthouse in one
Fernham’s civic centre is a merger of two real buildings. “One of the most recognisable is Fareham Town Hall and the courthouse, known as Portland Chambers,” he said. “In my story, I have combined these ideas and created a building that serves as both the Town Hall and courthouse in Fernham. It becomes an important location within the story.”
The house that is now the bus station
The most personal piece of Fernham is a house that no longer exists. Lee lived on Hartlands Road, just off West Street, as a toddler, and he has written the area and the house into the book.
“I’ve even included the original house where I lived as a toddler, although the house itself no longer exists, as the site is now occupied by Fareham Bus Station,” he said. “That was quite important to me because it means I’ve been able to preserve a small piece of my own childhood within the story, even though the real location has changed considerably over the years.”
His old school is in there too. Henry Cort School, which he attended, becomes Henley School. His research also turned up a link to Henry Cort Farm, which became Henley Farm, run by a character called Trevor Henley. It is where Ryan stays after he finds himself in 1906.
“So although Fernham is a fictional version of Fareham, many of its streets, buildings and landmarks are based on places that I have known personally throughout my life,” he said.
The music hall that became McDonald’s
We asked what his research into Fareham in 1906 had turned up. The answer was a building most people in town walk past without a second look: the McDonald’s in West Street.
“In my lifetime, I’ve always known the building as McDonald’s. I knew from my own knowledge that it had previously been a cinema, but when I started researching its history, I discovered something I hadn’t known at all: that it originally opened in 1906 as the Alexandra Music Hall,” he said.
“That really surprised me because 1906 is the historical period in which part of my story is set. It isn’t simply a modern building that I’ve put into a historical setting; I discovered that the building itself actually has a connection to the exact period I’m writing about.”
The Alexandra Music Hall appears in the novel. “Discovering its history was one of those moments where my research actually connected perfectly with the story I had already imagined,” he said.
Most of the early research came from Google and Fareham Library, he said, “particularly when I was around 17 and first developing the idea for the story. I’ve continued researching and developing the story over the years.”
Release date and where to buy it
Timeline: The Boy in the Lake is published on 20 November 2026. Lee is publishing it himself through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, and the Kindle edition is on pre-order at Amazon UK now (checked 8 October 2026).
He has approached Waterstones in Fareham about stocking it, though that is not yet confirmed. He has also contacted Fareham Library and Waterstones about a signing or author event, and Fareham Borough Council about promoting the book locally.
“At the moment, neither event has been formally confirmed, so I don’t have a date or time to provide yet,” he said. “I’m hoping that once the book is released there may be an opportunity to hold a local book signing or promotional event in Fareham.”
What it means for you
- Pre-order: the Kindle edition is listed on Amazon UK for delivery on 20 November.
- Spot the places: Fareham Creek and the railway bridge, Portland Chambers, Hartlands Road, Henry Cort School and the old Alexandra Music Hall in West Street all turn up in Fernham under new names or as they once were.
- A local signing: none is fixed yet. If Fareham Library or Waterstones confirms one, we will add the date here and to our What’s On listings.
Are you a Fareham writer, artist or maker with something coming out? Email hello@farehamnews.co.uk.
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