The Church of the Holy Innocents

 at Mount Peel Station was a gift to the community by John Barton Arundel Acland (1823-1904) and consecrated by his father-in-law, Bishop Henry John Chitty Harper, 30 May 1869. The church is named in remembrance of three infant children who died between 1864 and 1869 and are buried in the churchyard cemetery, among them Barton Dyke Acland eldest son of J. Barton Acland d. 7 Mar 1863 at Mt Peel and Emily Dyke Acland,  2nd dau. of J.B.A. Acland, d. 27 Oct 1864 aged 7 months.  Both Acland and his partner Charles G. Tripp (1820-97) were devout churchmen. They were one of the first runholders in South Canterbury and took up Mt Peel Station in 1855. Tripp later took up the Orari Gorge Station. Bishop Harper conducted services at their homesteads in 1857 and 1858 when he made pastoral tours on horseback accompanied by his son Henry and was escorted by Tripp across the treeless Canterbury plain and the Rangitata River. William Brassington, stonemason, was the chief builder and the builders used greywacke boulders (grey stone) from the Rangitata River bed and limestone brought cross country in bullock drays from Mount Somers and shaped the rocks by hand. The interior wood is native, pit-sawn at Mt Peel and the alter rails are of knotted totara and black pine with six beautiful memorial windows including one 'The Light of the World / The Good Shepherd' in memory of Henry Dyke Acland (1867-1942) s/o J.B.A. Acland donated by members of the New Zealand Sheepowner's Federation. 
12 years ago Bruce and I came across this church its beautiful, then a few years later CHCH was hit with the earth quake, we discovered that the church had some major damage the font window had fall out and also other damaged to the church, the locals picked up all the glass and had the window restored, so as I was out this way I wanted to see the repairs had come along. It was very sad to see the church when it was damaged and now after a huge effort from the local its just as I was on our first  visit