In September 2009, Archaeological Solutions Ltd (AS) conducted a programme of historic building recording at The Pumphouse, Orchard Road, Welwyn. The work was commissioned as part of a planning condition for proposed extension and conversion to residential use. The building was probably constructed in the late 1920s for the purpose of pumping sewage, but was conceived in a sympathetic Neo-Georgian architectural style to a high specification, which despite prolonged neglect remains in good condition. Traditional materials such as brick, tile and timber are combined in a happy marriage with industrial components such as steel and concrete. Four pumps, located in a deep open well within the building drew waste material from an adjoining chamber to the east, raising the sewage to a higher level and driving it on for further processing through a network of pipes and conduits. Each pump was driven by an individual motor, served by electrical capacitors, but so placed and designed that maintenance and replacement could be effected with ease. The original layout and substantial remains of three of the four original pumps survive intact, though the motors and electrical equipment have, as would be expected, been replaced. Residual elements of the older switching gear remain in situ. Other elements of the building appear little altered, though entirely utilitarian.