Area History

Waterholes was renamed Templeton after a landowner in the area Mr Edward Templer; the date of this renaming is not known.

The name Waterholes came from the fact that in the early years the site was used as a watering hole and rest stop for the early Bullock trains in their trek from Riccarton to the Selwyn River.

Although Templeton was named after Edward Templer, a Blacksmith who bought the land for £82.00 an acre, it is Samuel Bailey who is credited with much of Templeton's early development. Bailey could be considered as one of the early land speculators.

One of  the more unusual crops grown in the Templeton area was chicory, grown in the area of Trents Rd ( named after Edwin Trent owner of the farm). Trent also established the first steam coffee mill in the Canterbury Region and as such was a major employer in the area. Trent's Chicory Kiln survives today,  protected as an historical building.

Among the chicory, wheat was also grown paving the way for a wheat mill to be built; this was built on Railway Tce as well as a meat preserving company which opened in 1869.

Templeton Hospital was previously known as Jenkins Farm. The land for the hospital was purchased in 1917.  This hospital and residents were responsible at one time for growing and supplying vegetables to a large number of other hospitals in New Zealand.