What is an alley? Usually just an access point between houses. Whitstable has many alleys within the area of the High Street, Middle Wall, Island Wall and the beach. Every one of these has a story to tell us about the past.

This series will gradually grow in time to cover all of these alleyways.

Near the Kings Head and Dollar Row in Island Wall we find this pleasant short walkway to the beach. An airy gap between the houses with a gravel path and plants cascading down from the neighbouring gardens it invites the passer-by to stop and investigate the sound of the breaking waves beyond.

But was it always so, and what or whom was Collar? To find out we have to delve into the annals of Whitstable's history, further back than Arthur Collar who's hardware store is now Boots the Chemist in the High Street, to John Collar, shipbuilder of the 19th century and his son, also John.

Collars Alley marks and honours the place of Collar's shipyard, more often known as Collar's slipway. In the heyday of the Whitstable merchant ships, the twin-masted sailing ships that were the equivalent of today's road juggernauts, the beach was full of such slipways where these vessels were built, modified or repaired. The slipway itself would have been built from the timbers of one of these ships maybe beached and damaged during a storm.

On the slipway may have been a brig or barquetine, recently purchased from Liverpool by a group of local men, being modified for use as a collier, it's sail layout being altered so it could legally go to sea with less crew. Built by hand and worked by hand this ship was now a Whitstable ship and this would be her home.

These ships had a relatively short lifetime, the sea was a dangerous place with only the wind for power and the skill of the master mariners to guide their cargoes of coal from Newcastle, ice from Norway and fruits from around the world, through tempest and storm.

Many ships were lost at sea and sadly also the lives of many of the fathers, brothers and sons of Whitstable families.

As the 20th century approached other forms of transport started taking over from these majestic brigs and schooners and the Collar's turned to building smaller craft for the local fishermen such as the Emmeline F40 and Gamecock F76 in 1907. So go to Collars Alley and view the sea but ignore the sailing dinghy's and wind surfers. Instead picture the Oyster fleet dredging against the backdrop of these fine wooden chariots of the sea as they rested offshore and think of the hardships that our townspeople endured in helping the development of the industrial revolution whilst broadening their horizons as they sailed around the world. Look to one side and see not the scented flowers but the Sawyers at work. No machinery here, just the Sawyer on top and in the pit below his young lad, keeping the saw straight and true as they cut out fresh planks for decking. Hear the saw singing, mingling in with the sound of the waves and smell the sawdust, tar and seaweed, a heady mixture.

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