Marine Court was constructed by South Coast Properties company between 1936-1938. On 30 November 1936 the foundation stone was laid by Robert Holland-Martin, Chairman of the Southern Railway. With fourteen storeys and measuring 170 ft/49 metres in height it was the tallest block of flats in the UK when it opened in 1938.

Marine Court was designed by architects Kenneth Dalgleish and Roger K Pullen with overt references to the Cunard White-Star Line Queen Mary, which had entered commercial transatlantic service in 1936. It was an early pioneer of steel-frame construction, like the earlier De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea.

The balconies of the south elevation imitate the promenade deck aboard the Queen Mary. The upper stories are stepped in from those beneath, like the superstructure of a ship. The ground floor shop frontages were black and sit beneath a blue cantilevered roof, which appears to mimic the sea level. On a sunny day, residents could feel like they were enjoying a luxury cruise from the comfort of their own flat.