The school was established on a Christchurch estate called Middleton. The Middleton homestead was built in the mid 1800’s by one of the first settlers to the area, Thomas Rowley. In 1861 Sir Charles Bowen, who was a prominent and active member of politics and introduced the 1877 Education Act, took over the property. Through family connections, Bowen and his wife are said to have hosted the Antarctic explorers, Scott, Shackleton and Wilson prior to their journey to the Antarctic.