Thomas Lee Downing was the third and youngest son of William Downing. His mother was William Downing’s second wife Susan Lee. Born in 1867, he was brought up in Holly Lodge, Smethwick and by 1890 joined the family malting business, by then bearing the names of his two elder half brothers “G and WE Downing”
Thomas Lee Downing (second left) in 1917
He married Ida Mary Johnstone on 27 Jul 1893. They lived most their married life at Stourton Hall, Kinver.
His brother George died in Llandudno in 1894 and this coincided with Tom taking an increasingly important role in the prospering business. His surviving half brother William Edmund (Ted) was nineteen years older than him and there must have been some transferring of decision making to the younger brother. Noel Downing, Ted’s only son, went to Oxford between 1907 and 1909 and was in the Welsh Guards 1916 to 1919, by which time it would appear Ted had pretty much retired and the business was well past its heyday. Thomas was nonetheless able to accumulate a considerable amount of wealth, as manifested in the property and land around Stourton Hall, a large holiday home in Llandudno and other property in Shropshire to satisfy his passion for the sport of shooting and fishing.
Some time in the late 1920’s Ida and Tom retired to Tan-yr-Allt the large house overlooking Llandudno in North Wales.
Thomas Lee Downing died on 28 Mar 1936 and was buried in Llandudno.