John Bickerstaffe

Sir John Bickerstaffe (20 January 1848 – 5 August 1930) was a philanthropist and a pivotal figure in the growth of Blackpool, a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. He also served as the town's mayor and was a justice of the peace.

Early life Bickerstaffe was born in 1848 in a cottage in Caunce Square, Blackpool, to Robert Bickerstaffe and Elizabeth Platt. His brother, Tom, 12 years his senior,

Bickerstaffe was educated in the Blackpool National Schools and then at a private school in the town.

In 1887, he became a founder and president of Blackpool F.C. having been inspired to built the latter after visiting the Eiffel Tower in 1889. Blackpool Tower was completed five years later. It was for these that he was known as "Mr Blackpool". They had one son―Robert Gerrard Bickerstaffe―in 1876, as well as seven daughters:

A portrait of Bickerstaffe, by Charles Auty, hangs in Blackpool Town Hall.

Legacy The square in Blackpool's Talbot Gateway was named Bickerstaffe Square in his honour.