Collyer Quay was named after the sea wall that was designed by George Chancellor Collyer of the Madras Engineers and completed in 1864 as a form of defence for Singapore. The quay was built on the reclaimed seafront using convict labourers. About a decade before that, in 1855, Johnston's Pier was built and named after Alexander Laurie Johnston, the prominent merchant who came to Singapore in 1820.
