| Good afternoon everybody |
| and welcome to Riverside Industrial Village. |
| To start your visit, I'm just going to give you a brief account of the history of the museum |
| before letting you roam about on your own. |
| I won't keep you long. Okay? |
| Now, from where we're standing |
| you've got a good view of the river over there. |
| And it was because of this fast-flowing water |
| that this site was a natural place for manufacturing works. |
| The water and the availability of raw materials in the area, like minerals and iron ore, |
| and also the abundance of local fuels, like coal and firewood, |
| all made this site suitable for industry from a very early time. |
| Water was the main source of power for the early industries |
| and some of the water wheels were first established in the 12th century, would you believe? |
| At that time, local craftsmen first built an iron forge |
| just behind the village here, on the bend in the river. |
| By the 17th and 18th centuries, |
| the region's rivers supported more than 160 water mills - |
| and many of these continued to operate well into the 19th century. |
| But then, the steam engine was invented |
| and then the railways came |
| and the centres of industry were able to move away from the rivers and the countryside and into the towns. |
| So, industrial villages like this one became very rare. |
| So, that's the history for you. |
| If you'd like any more information, you can ask me some questions, |
| or you can read further in our excellent guide book. |
| Now I'm going to give you a plan of the site |
| and I'd just like to point out where everything is |
| and then you can take a look at everything for yourself. |
| I've already pointed out the river, which is on the left. |
| And of course, running along the bottom is Woodside Road, |
| got it? |
| Okay. |
| Now, we're standing at the entrance, |
| see it at the bottom, |
| and immediately to our right is the Ticket Office. |
| You won't need that because you've got your group booking, |
| but just past it are the toilets - |
| always good to know where they are. |
| In front of us is the car park, as you can see, |
| and to the left, by the entry gate is the Gift Shop. |
| That's where you can get copies of the guide, like this one here. |
| Now, beyond the car park, |
| all the buildings are arranged in a half circle with a yard in the middle. |
| The big, stone building at the top is the main Workshop. |
| That's where the furnace is |
| and where all the metal was smelted and the tools were cast, |
| as you'll be able to see. |
| Now, in the top right-hand corner, |
| that building with bigger windows is the Showroom, |
| where samples of all the tools that were made through the ages are on display. |
| In the top left corner is the Grinding Shop, |
| where the tools were sharpened and finished. |
| And on one side of that you can see the Engine Room |
| and on the other is the Café, |
| which isn't an antique, you'll be pleased to know, |
| though they do serve very nice old-fashioned teas. |
| The row of buildings you can see on the left are the cottages. |
| These were built for the workers towards the end of the 18th century |
| and they're still furnished from that period |
| so you can get a good idea of ordinary people's living conditions. |
| Across the yard from them, |
| you can see the stables where the horses were kept for transporting the products. |
| And the separate building in front of them is the Works Office |
| and that still has some of the old accounts on display. |
| Right, if anyone wants a guided tour then I'm starting at the Engine Room. |
| If you'd like to come along, this way please, ladies and gentlemen. |