Report by Stan Morrissey.
Back in March we had a talk about Edward Jenner 
. This was well received and, being offered a group tour of his house in Berkeley, we arranged a visit.
This took place just as our fine summer was coming to an end and we were greeted on the day with grey clouds and rain spots. Undeterred, fifteen of us assembled in Berkeley for what proved to be an interesting and informative session, plus tea and cake. Our March talk had been about Jenner’s discovery of a successful treatment against smallpox, but here we learned more about his house, with an introductory talk and a free roam around its rooms.
The Chantry is an imposing 18th century house with outbuildings, now occupied by the Jenner Museum. It has several rooms furnished as Jenner would have known and other dedicated to museum displays. The mixture works as it seems like a house you could live in – though the scullery and kitchen being outside could be a deterrent.
The exhibits include Jenner’s personal possessions and many oddities, including a bone from a whale washed up in the 1770s which was unearthed from under the lawn. Vaccination is obviously the main theme and there are many examples of posters and documents showing the opposition that it generated at the time, such as people risking being turned into cows (anti-vacc is nothing new!). Conversely it shows how thousands of lives have been saved through Jenner’s work leading to the total eradication of smallpox in the world.
Outside, as the sun had returned, we were able to explore further. The decorative gardens include a cottage garden planted with medicinal and culinary herbs which were widely used in Jenner’s day. Most are still familiar; though medicinal properties have been largely disproved, who can resist a spot of rosemary or thyme? (don’t start me on Scarborough Fair). There is also a large vinery, complete with an ancient vine so, presumably, home-made wine was on the menu.
We were told that the road to the church once ran in front of the house but was redirected to create the present lawn – amazing want you could do before planning regulations.
And of course there is the Temple of Vaccinia, a rustic hut used by Jenner to provide free vaccines to the poor, a very early example of welfare. This was formerly “at risk” but restored this year.
Both the Chantry and the Temple are Grade 2 listed and a recurring problem in running this delightful museum is the need for regular repairs and the lack of money to carry them out. There are obvious signs on the house of defective walls, for example.
If you haven’t visited this fascinating museum before, or not for a while, we can thoroughly recommend it.