John Whitley

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. He was a brother-in-law of pioneering French Cinematographer, Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince and grandfather of Air marshal Sir John Whitley. Background John Whitley was the eldest son of Leeds iron and bronze foundry owner, Joseph Whitley and his wife, Sarah née Robinson. Joseph Whitley, originally from Wakefield, was steeped in metallurgy and moved to Leeds where in 1844 he opened his own business, J.Whitley & Co., subsequently J.Whitley Partners, which he headed until his death in 1891. He was an innovator and inventor, holder of over 50 patents. Joseph and Sarah Whitley were the parents-in-law of French pioneer cinematographer, Louis Le Prince, who, in 1888 'filmed' them along with other family members in what was probably the first ever experimental motion picture, at their home in Roundhay. See The First Film. Whitley probably attended Leeds Grammar School: the name is mentioned on the register, without an initial, around 1856. Later his parents sent him to Germany to learn German, then on to Blois in France to master French and finally to Siena, Italy to learn Italian. On completing his education, he carried on with foreign travel to acquaint himself with industrial developments abroad. His tours included return visits to France, Germany and Italy and forays into Switzerland, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. Further excursions were to continental Africa, the United States and South America. Fluent in four languages and a graduate of several European universities, he joined his father's business in Leeds and was commissioned to expand it into Europe and the USA. From 1873 he was a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.