ALLEY, in Gardening, a straight parallel Walk, bordered or bounded on each hand with Trees, Shrubs, or the like. See GARDEN, WALK, ESPALIER, etc. Alleys are usually laid either with Grass or Gravel. See GRASS-WALK, and GRAVEL-WALK.
An Alley is distinguished from a Path, in this; that in an Alley there must always be room enough for two Persons, at least, to walk abreast: So that it must never be less than five Feet in breadth; and there are some who hold that it ought never to have more than fifteen. Counter-Alleys, are the little Alleys by the Sides of the great ones.—A Front-Alley, is that which runs straight in the Face of a Building—A Transverse-Alley, that which cuts the former at right Angles—A Diagonal-Alley, that which cuts a Square, Thicket, Parterre, &c. from Angle to Angle—A Sloping-Alley, is that which either by reason of the Lowness of the Point of Sight, or of the Ground, is neither parallel to the Front, nor to the Transverse Alleys. An Alley in Liczac, is that which has too great a Descent, and which, on that account, is liable to be damaged by Floods; to prevent the ill Effects whereof, it has Platbands of Turf running across it from Space to Space, which help to keep up the Gravel. This last Name is likewise given to an Alley in a Labyrinth, or Wilderness, formed by several returns of Angles, in order to render it the more solitary and obscure, and to hide its Issue. Alley in Perspective, is that which is larger at the Entrance than at the Issue; to give it a greater Appearance of length. Alley of Compartiment, is that which separates the Squares of a Parterre. The Word Alley is derived from the French Verb Aller, to go; the ordinary use of an Alley being for a Walk, Passage, or Thoroughfare from one Place to another.
