St John’s CE Primary School may appear modern with its striking, award-winning building, but its legacy stretches back over two centuries. Established in 1817, when Blackpool was a small village of around 750 people, the school was born out of a community effort led by John Gisborne. Recognising the lack of educational provision for local children, he gathered subscriptions from residents, friends, and visitors to fund the town’s first free school. The original school building was constructed on Church Street—then known as Poulton Road—and the school has remained on that site ever since, apart from short breaks during rebuilding phases…. Read more »