Lily and William Downton owned and ran a flower farm on Reservoir Road (now Belgrave-Hallam Rd) Belgrave South for many years. William Ernest Downton, known as Ernest, was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, England in late 1888, and Lily May Renshaw was born in Chorlton, a suburb of Manchester, England, in mid-1891. They married in Victoria in 1915. Their son Arthur Ernest was born in Cheltenham in 1922 and their daughter Elizabeth (Betty) was born in 1927. Around 1937 they bought land off the Potter family, bounded by Reservoir Rd, Engelke Rd and Potters Rd, and set up their flower farm where they grew chrysanthemums, daffodils and heath, which they sold at markets. When they retired they sold the farm and shifted to Gilmore Road (now Orana Court). Ernest died in South Melbourne in 1959 and Lily died in Ringwood in 1972. As with so many of the early residents of Belgrave South and Heights, the Downtons were heavily involved in the local activities and groups.
Their son Arthur, who provided these family photos to our society, enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942 and served in New Guinea as well as at various Australian bases. At the time of enlistment he was employed as a flower grower and gardener. He married Marjorie (Madge) Van Graaph in 1948. Arthur worked as a bus driver for U.S Motors. He died in 2007, Madge having predeceased him in 1987.
Their daughter Betty married Alex Hall and lived on Gilmore road across from Lily and Ernest.
Photo shows Lily and William Downton, who owned and ran a flower farm on Reservoir Road (now Belgrave-Hallam Rd) Belgrave South for many years. They are seated or standing in a garden with a hedge behind them. Lily is wearing a floral dress. Her hair is pinned back. She is wearing glasses. Ernest is wearing a short-sleeved shirt and wide tie. They are smiling broadly.
