Women's Institute charabanc outing 1926

Ogbourne St Andrew's Women's Institute survived for 91 years before succumbing to the lack of a parish meeting place.  The inaugural meeting was held on September 26th 1922.  The Institute was suspended from October 18th 1944 to March 9th 1949 whilst the Army comandeered the Village Hall.   On February 20th 2013 the Instsitute was finally closed.

In 1965 the Women's Institute created a book detailing the daily life of the parish.  It's leading author was Pam Lawton, whose fine artwork gives a very evocative feel of the parish and its flora and fauna.  The original book is deposited at the Swindon and Wiltshire History Centre under reference # 2288/11.  A photographic copy (click here) has been made which gives some idea of the beauty and scope of the book but the quality of the copy is compromised to a degree by the lack of contrast on many pages (except those of the flora and fauna - pages 29 - 35 and the calendar - pages 37 - 48) and by fold-out tracing paper.  It is hoped however that sufficient detail is presented to encourage a visit to the History Centre to view the original.   
[the copy is made available by kind permission of Pam Lawton's daughters and the Swindon and Wiltshire History Centre]

                                                         WI Outing 1950