The Edward Jenner Heritage Trail
If viewing on a smartphone, landscape view is advised
Welcome to the Edward Jenner Heritage Trail which will guide you through some of the locations and sights in Berkeley that would have existed during the lifetime of Dr Edward Jenner, the pioneer of smallpox vaccination. Our aim is to give you a flavour of some of the places that have direct links to his time in Berkeley between his birth in 1749 and his death in 1823. This quiet corner of England would have been a very different place from the town that you see today.
Jenner lived during the Georgian period when Berkeley was a centre for the agricultural activities which sustained the local population. Many of the businesses and shops were direct providers to these activities in trades such as horse tack and equipment, farm implements and tools, fodder, animal feeds and all the requisites of a farming community. Centrally situated in the Berkeley Vale the town would also have supplied the needs of the small villages and hamlets in the rural landscape. Travellers would have had to journey to the main stagecoach route for their onward travel to the cities. The town still contains a number of Georgian buildings and although many have been subsequently modified, the parts of the town you will visit during the Heritage Trail display features that would probably have existed when Jenner was a resident.
Jenner lived during the Georgian period when Berkeley was a centre for the agricultural activities which sustained the local population. Many of the businesses and shops were direct providers to these activities in trades such as horse tack and equipment, farm implements and tools, fodder, animal feeds and all the requisites of a farming community. Centrally situated in the Berkeley Vale the town would also have supplied the needs of the small villages and hamlets in the rural landscape. Travellers would have had to journey to the main stagecoach route for their onward travel to the cities. The town still contains a number of Georgian buildings and although many have been subsequently modified, the parts of the town you will visit during the Heritage Trail display features that would probably have existed when Jenner was a resident.
The Trail is approximately 0.5 km and should take approximately half an hour to walk. Although there are a couple of slopes the only steps are those that provide access to the interior of the church. Each location has a plaque which includes a QR code that will take you through your Smart Phone to information on that location. You should start by following the instructions in bold on each page.
Alternatively you can follow the links by hovering the cursor over the Heritage Trail button and follow the drop down Locations menu from 1 to 11.
For visitors arriving in Berkeley there are two free car parks - Marybrook Street, opposite Berkeley Primary School and School Lane beside Berkeley Books Library. Both are convenient for the start of the Edward Jenner Heritage Trail. More information on local accommodation, attractions and pursuits can be viewed at the Berkeley Vale Tourism site - click here to view it or go to https://berkeleyvaletourism.co.uk. Berkeley has several coffee shops and tea rooms to refresh the weary traveller, before or after you follow the Trail. Our Inns and Public Houses also provide tasty options to keep you going during the day.
If you would like to learn more about the town you could not do better than to visit Berkeley Books - click here to view their website or go to http://berkeleybooks.co.uk. At Berkeley Books Community Library, there is a local history section of reference material and a genealogy service for Library members to discover their own ancestral links. They have a number of Local History books for purchase. Tel: 01453 810520.
If you want to learn more about Dr Jenner you could usefully visit Dr Jenner's Museum, House and Garden - click here to view the website or go to jennermuseum.com for opening hours. This Museum is located in the Chantry which Jenner occupied for most of his adult life and the exhibits provide considerable detail on his life, the theory of immunology, and subsequent developments in vaccination. There are also a variety of publications for sale. Tel: 01453 810631
The Berkeley Town Trail may also be of interest to visitors - click here or go to berkeley-tc.gov.uk/historic-town-trail/
Finally, at the end of the Jenner Trail there is a list of sources we have used in compiling the trail together with others that you may find useful.
Please note that the Edward Jenner Heritage Trail is still in development and that the volunteers at The Jenner Project 2022 | 23 have made and will continue to make, every effort to ensure that the information is correct, that copyright holders are acknowledged, and that all of the Plaques are installed. There is a reference list on this website which can be seen after the final location and this shows where the material that informed each location is found. Most of the information is from secondary sources but we have been given access to some primary sources and interested readers can ask for access to this material. We welcome any feedback through the contact link on the website so that we can make further adjustments. We will consider amendments at any time. No responsibility can be accepted for any injuries which may be sustained whilst using the Jenner Heritage Trail. Material on this website may be used for the purposes of personal or educational use only. It may not be used for commercial gain or other purposes.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the generous financial support of Gloucestershire County Council and the Build Back Better Town’s Fund, without which the Heritage Trail would not have been possible.
For your first Trail Location walk south along Marybrook Street using the right-hand footpath until you reach the house beyond the close boarded fence. Here you’ll find the first marker on the left hand gable of Yew Tree House. You can click the QR code on the Plaque or click here for information on Location 1.
Alternatively you can follow the links by hovering the cursor over the Heritage Trail button and follow the drop down Locations menu from 1 to 11.
For visitors arriving in Berkeley there are two free car parks - Marybrook Street, opposite Berkeley Primary School and School Lane beside Berkeley Books Library. Both are convenient for the start of the Edward Jenner Heritage Trail. More information on local accommodation, attractions and pursuits can be viewed at the Berkeley Vale Tourism site - click here to view it or go to https://berkeleyvaletourism.co.uk. Berkeley has several coffee shops and tea rooms to refresh the weary traveller, before or after you follow the Trail. Our Inns and Public Houses also provide tasty options to keep you going during the day.
If you would like to learn more about the town you could not do better than to visit Berkeley Books - click here to view their website or go to http://berkeleybooks.co.uk. At Berkeley Books Community Library, there is a local history section of reference material and a genealogy service for Library members to discover their own ancestral links. They have a number of Local History books for purchase. Tel: 01453 810520.
If you want to learn more about Dr Jenner you could usefully visit Dr Jenner's Museum, House and Garden - click here to view the website or go to jennermuseum.com for opening hours. This Museum is located in the Chantry which Jenner occupied for most of his adult life and the exhibits provide considerable detail on his life, the theory of immunology, and subsequent developments in vaccination. There are also a variety of publications for sale. Tel: 01453 810631
The Berkeley Town Trail may also be of interest to visitors - click here or go to berkeley-tc.gov.uk/historic-town-trail/
Finally, at the end of the Jenner Trail there is a list of sources we have used in compiling the trail together with others that you may find useful.
Please note that the Edward Jenner Heritage Trail is still in development and that the volunteers at The Jenner Project 2022 | 23 have made and will continue to make, every effort to ensure that the information is correct, that copyright holders are acknowledged, and that all of the Plaques are installed. There is a reference list on this website which can be seen after the final location and this shows where the material that informed each location is found. Most of the information is from secondary sources but we have been given access to some primary sources and interested readers can ask for access to this material. We welcome any feedback through the contact link on the website so that we can make further adjustments. We will consider amendments at any time. No responsibility can be accepted for any injuries which may be sustained whilst using the Jenner Heritage Trail. Material on this website may be used for the purposes of personal or educational use only. It may not be used for commercial gain or other purposes.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the generous financial support of Gloucestershire County Council and the Build Back Better Town’s Fund, without which the Heritage Trail would not have been possible.
For your first Trail Location walk south along Marybrook Street using the right-hand footpath until you reach the house beyond the close boarded fence. Here you’ll find the first marker on the left hand gable of Yew Tree House. You can click the QR code on the Plaque or click here for information on Location 1.