Tiny settlement near the foot of Mt Somers itself, 48 km north-west of Ashburton. Coal, building stone, silica sand and lime were mined in the area, and the town was linked to Tinwald by rail.
Meaning of place name
The settlement and the mountain were said to be named after Lord Somers, a member of the Canterbury Association, and after a Bishop Somers, although no record can be found of either. It may possibly have been named after T. Somers Cocks, MP, a foundation member of the Association.
