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Attraction in Berkeley

Jenner Museum
Church Lane
Berkeley
Gloucestershire

GL13 9BH
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Edward Jenner (1749 - 1823), a country house doctor in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, was intrigued by country-lore saying milkmaids who caught the mild cowpox could not catch deadly smallpox. He devised a crucial experiment involving a milkmaid, a young boy and a cow called 'Blossom'. As a consequence, smallpox has been eradicated from the Earth! Jenner's discovery has developed into one of the most important parts of modern medicine - Immunology.

Jenner made many other important contributions to science, linking angina with hardening of the arteries, correctly describing the nesting behaviour of cuckoos, advocating that some species of birds migrated (rather than hibernated) and studying animal hibernation. Jenner was one of the first to launch a balloon and to discover a Plesiosaurus fossil. His home is now a museum that includes an exhibition on modern immunology. Models and computer games help visitors to appreciate the importance of that first experiment 200 years ago.

Exhibitions in 2009:
Charles Darwin - Walking on Dinosaurs (whenever conference centre is not in use)
Ghosts in the Attic: Smallpox to MMR (weekends and Bank Holidays only).

Details

Nearest UK Airport: Bristol
Months Open: Apr - Sept: Tues - Sat 12.30 - 1730; Sun 13.00 - 17.30; Mon - closed
Oct: Sun only 13.00 - 17.30
Other groups by appointment
Groups/Parties Welcome: Yes
Discount for Groups: Yes
Car Parking: Yes
Conference Facilities: Yes
Admission Price: Adults: £3
Children: £1.50
Gift Shop: Yes

More Attractions nearby

Berkeley Castle (0.34 miles)

Cattle Country Adventure Park (0.98 miles)

Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (4.08 miles)

Lydney Park Gardens (4.17 miles)

Kingshill House (4.30 miles)

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