Description of Historic Place

The Murrayville Pumphouse consists of a small square building and an adjacent small concrete trough on the tip of a triangular piece of road right of way at the Five Corners intersection of Murrayville, Langley.

Heritage Value

The Murrayville Pumphouse is important for its historic and social significance.

The pumphouse site has supplied water to the residents of Murrayville, one way or another, continuously since 1911. Community resident Rod Cummings first pumped water from his artesian well to Belmont School and the Municipal Hall using a hydraulic ram (1911) and then an electric pump (1928). Built in 1928, the purpose of the pumphouse was to shelter the electric pump.

Located at the heart of Five Corners intersection, which is itself the heart of Murrayville, the pumphouse is a physical reminder of the historic method of obtaining water in the community. While functioning as the only water source, the pumphouse was also a social meeting place where residents gathered to collect water from the overflow trough and to water their horses and cattle. Community folklore still claims that the water collected here makes the best pickles.

The area of Murrayville is significant as the second oldest village centre in Langley Township (after Fort Langley) and an important service area for travellers and for the local agricultural community. Called 'Murray's Corners' at first, settlement of this area began in 1874/5 when the Paul Murray family arrived and received crown grants of 160 acres on each corner of the New Westminster-Yale Road-Fort Langley Trail intersection. The name was changed to Murrayville about 1911, purportedly at the desire of the newly arrived post office, yet the distinctive Five Corner intersection at its centre is still known by its former name.

Source:Langley Centennial Museum, heritage files

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Murrayville Pumphouse include its:
- Landmark status at the historic Five Corners intersection
- Orientation to the intersection
- Continuous use as a source of water
- The simple architectural elements and material of the pumphouse
- The outdoor concrete trough with water spout above