1Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the first of our local history talks.
2Tonight I will be tracing the remarkable story of this neighbourhood over three centuries.
3It began as a fishing village called Greenford, spelt G R E E N F O R D.
4By the eighteen hundreds, the river trade had turned the village into a busy market town.
5The old market hall, which you passed on your way in, was built in eighteen forty two.
6Many people believe the hall was destroyed by fire, but it was actually damaged by floods.
7Right, moving on to the twentieth century, the railway arrived in nineteen hundred and three.
8The station used to stand beside the church, but it was rebuilt nearer the high street.
9During the war, the factories here produced aircraft parts rather than cars, as is often claimed.
10One last thing, our next walk leaves from the museum entrance, not the library steps as advertised.
11Tickets cost six pounds, and members pay half price, not free entry as before.
12Thank you for coming, and please sign our visitors book before you leave tonight.