John Robinson Whitley

John Robinson Whitley
John Robinson Whitley
Born	John Robinson Whitley (1843-12-13)13 December 1843 Leeds, Yorkshire, England
Died	22 March 1922(1922-03-22) (aged 78) Condette, France
Nationality	British
Occupation(s)	Founder of Earl's Court Exhibition Grounds, creator of 4 national fairs, developer of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, founder of Hardelot-Plage, philanthropist
Years active	1867–1922
Spouse	Ellen Naylor ​ (m. 1871⁠–⁠1922)​
Children	4

John Robinson Whitley, (13 December 1843, Leeds – 22 March 1922, Condette, France) was a British entrepreneur who inaugurated the Earl's Court Exhibition Grounds in West London in 1887. After four major exhibitions on the site (1887–1892), he moved to France where in partnership with Allen Stoneham, he developed Touquet-Paris-Plage and created Hardelot-Plage.^[1] He was a brother-in-law of pioneering French cinematographer, Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince and grandfather of Air marshal Sir John Whitley.