To visitors or passers-by it may seem nothing out of the ordinary.

But behind the façade of the Women's Institute hall at Carterton is a remarkable story of determination and sacrifice. The hall might never have been built but for the efforts of three pioneering women, Jessie Offley Shore, Annie Clarke and Gladys Hammett, who established Carterton WI in 1922.

Three years later, a parcel of land near the village crossroads was bought for £25, a huge sum for such a small and relatively poor community. By 1926, there were 62 WI members - virtually all the adult females in the village - and the following year, they had bought and erected a large tin and timber hall.

To raise money for the building, cake, produce and flower stalls were held, but this was not enough. Mrs Clarke and her husband, Ernest, who lived in Burford Road, mortgaged their own home to raise the cash.

Today, the hall still stands at the heart of the community, maintained by WI members. It provides the venue for a coffee shop and dance school. Sadly, apart from the original deeds, no records or pictures from the early days have survived.

With the help of Memory Lane readers, the WI hopes to mark its 85th anniversary this year by compiling a history both of itself and the building. Eveline Gillians, who is in charge of anniversary events, tells me: "We have been awarded a grant from the West Oxfordshire District Council heritage fund, and I would be grateful if your readers who have photographs, memories or anything to do with the hall would share them with us.

"Without the indomitable determination of ladies like Annie Clarke and Gladys Hammett, Carterton WI hall might never have happened. What spirit these ladies must have had."

Archive material can be taken to the coffee shop on Thursdays. As part of the anniversary celebrations, teacher and historian Martin Way will give a talk on the history of Carterton - founded by William Carter in 1900 - at the hall on Tuesday, October 9 at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome.