A rustic thatched summerhouse in the garden of Dr Jenner’s House in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, is recognised as the world’s first vaccination clinic. Originally built for Dr Edward Jenner by his friend Reverend Robert Ferryman as a garden retreat, it became a place of work after Jenner successfully vaccinated eight-year-old James Phipps against smallpox in 1796. He began offering free vaccinations to local people, renaming the building the Temple of Vaccinia.
From this modest setting, vaccination spread across the UK and around the world. Jenner never patented his discovery, dedicating himself to sharing it widely and describing himself as the “vaccine clerk to the world”. Vaccination ultimately led to the eradication of smallpox in 1980, the first and only human disease to be eliminated globally.
The project has restored the Temple of Vaccinia, removing it from the Heritage at Risk Register, while improving access, interpretation and learning opportunities. This is the first stage of Re-Jenner-ation, Dr Jenner’s House’s ambitious programme to restore the wider museum and site.
James Rodliff, Museum Director at Dr Jenner’s House, said: “The Temple of Vaccinia is an unassuming building with a story of global significance: what happened here changed the course of public health. Restoring it means visitors can stand in the place where Jenner chose to offer vaccination freely to his community and understand how an idea from Berkeley helped protect people around the world.”
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