This picturesque retreat was gifted to Jenner sometime in the late 1790s, by his friend, the Reverend Robert Ferryman  (c1753-1837) with the idea that it would provide a place of peaceful contemplation. Jenner however was not a man to rest, instead using the building as a proto Vaccination centre for anyone in Berkeley and the surrounding villages. Jenner nicknamed it ‘The Temple of Vaccinia’ and opened up his garden once a week for free vaccinations. This important Building caught the imagination of Professor Lord Robert Winston and was placed in English Heritage’s top ten buildings: in A History of England in 100 Places.

The design was much influenced by the Picturesque Movement: the idea of a rustic Hermitage was fashionable in Georgian society, creating a place to contemplate nature and of course subjects occupying the minds of Enlightenment men.

According to Jenner's biographer John Baron (1838), it been ‘converted into a place of utility’ by 1804 and that Jenner, like a ‘faithful priest’ always hoped to find it full of ‘worshippers’, in this case the local children awaiting inoculation.  John Baron continued by writing that, ‘wonders were wrought’ as Jenner protected the poor from a lethal disease.

The Temple remains a place of quiet contemplation, overlooking rolling Cotswold countryside towards Stinchcombe Hill, which visitors still enjoy during their visit to the Jenner Museum.

Return to the Bell Tower and turn right carring on through the Churchyard Gate. Follow straight on along Church Lane, for 100 yards, round the bend in the road and arrive at Location 11, the gate of Dr Jenner's House Museum and Garden. The Museum is visible straight ahead from the gate. See sign for opening times and entry charge. During the period when the Museum is closed, visitors can access further information at https://jennermuseum.com/