Sockburn lies midway between Upper Riccarton and Hornby, and is five miles south-west from Christchurch, on the main south line. There is a small flag station, at which trains, other than the express, stop if necessary. Sockburn is a farming suburb but is rapidly becoming, also, a residential one. The Midland Saleyards Co-operative Company has large saleyards there, and has built suitable pens, and erected offices, etc. Abattoirs, constructed in terms of the Public Health Act, and belonging to the City Council of Christchurch, have lately been built at Sockburn. The Plumpton Park racecourse is also close by, and there are several well-known training stables in the immediate neighbourhood.