Historical Notes by Brian Hadler, March 2004

EDWARD CARDEN was born in Aldgate, London in 1841. He became a 'peeler' in London but was forced to retire from police work due to an injury. He came to Whitstable and started a marine store business on Island Wall and also became tenant of the 'Fisherman's Arms' public house in 1876. In 1890 he had the smack 'Favourite' built by the Whitstable Shipping Company, which occupied the site that is now Daniels Court.

The foreman shipwright involved in her design and building was JOHN DYASON who was for many years manager of Mr Fairbrass' yard which became part of the Whitstable Shipping Company. He was responsible for many ship and yacht designs.

Like most smacks, Favourite was built at the top of the beach and launched down wooden skids, the permanent slipways were reserved for the larger vessels being built and repaired.

On the 22nd August 1891 Favourite was first raced in the Tankerton Regatta under her owner and finished fifth. Afterwards a challenge was handed out by the owners of the Vistory, another Whitstable Shipping Co. smack built the previous year and crewed entirely by the Victory's owners. Favourite, crewed by her normal complement, was beaten by half a boat's length after 20 miles of sailing, finishing at the pier head in a strong SW wind. Victory had previously beaten her in the Regatta by 62 seconds over 16 miles. In other races in 1892 and 1897, Favourite finished 5th and 2nd respectively but her racing career afterwards is not recorded.

Ownership of Favourite passed to Edward's sons Walter and Henry in 1895, and in 1918 she was sold to the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company which needed to provide vessels for their employees. No vessels had been built after 1908 and the numbers of the old dredging fraternity who owned their own boats was in decline. A crew list of 1920-22 names her crew as follows: GEORGE PAYSDEN, H.PAYSDEN, WALTER STROUD, HERBERT STROUD AND F.CAMBURN. Because she was never motorised, she became less frequently used for work, there also being a decline in the oyster business, with fewer boats and men needed. She was finally beached after providing target practise for the Luftwaffe.

Favourite was bought after World War Two by HARRY HURFORD-JANES for £50 when she was still classified A1 by Lloyds. The early, lower seawall was under construction in the early 1950's and a decision was made to haul Favourite to the shoreward side of the new wall. This work was undertaken by local firm DALE & DALTON and to achieve this, wires were run from the old council yard (where the Saltings now stands) across Island Wall to the beach. Powerful winches hauled her into Hurford-Janes cottage garden, where she rested for three decades. The story has it that Hurford-Janes recovered more than £50 worth of lead ballast from Favourite and sold it for scrap (A good story, but did yawls really use lead ballast?).

In 1978 the new owners of the cottage offered Favourite to the community without any charge and she was moved to the empty plot next door, owned by the Whitstable Oyster Company and Canterbury City Council.