Design Team Lead

1. Introduction

The Jenner Trust is seeking to appoint a single Lead Design Consultant (prime appointment, anticipated to be a conservation/heritage architect-led practice) to lead and coordinate the professional team required to develop proposals for the restoration, renewal and reinterpretation of Dr Jenner’s House and associated site at Berkeley, Gloucestershire.

This appointment is intended to produce coordinated outputs suitable for a National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Development Stage application, and to inform pre‑application discussions with statutory stakeholders. The NLHF has indicated they do not want the design to progress materially beyond RIBA Stage 1-2 at this stage.

Dr Jenner’s House and Garden in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, form the internationally significant site where in 1796 Dr Edward Jenner performed the world’s first vaccination against the deadly disease of smallpox. He went on to share his discovery and method around the world for the good of humanity. His work ultimately culminated in the global eradication of smallpox in 1980, after which his home was acquired by the Jenner Trust.

The Trust (RCN 1158316) was established to preserve the 1‑acre site (which includes the Grade II
* Georgian house (The Chantry) and the Grade II
* Temple of Vaccinia, along with other associated buildings and the historic garden setting) and operate it as a museum and education centre. The museum opened to the public in May 1985 and since then has welcomed over 260,000 visitors. Today we preserve this site, celebrate and share Jenner’s legacy. We do this by fostering curiosity and experimentation; enabling conversations which can change the world;

celebrating vaccination from the place where it began; inspiring current and future scientists and ensuring Dr Jenner’s story is told beyond the walls of the building.

The values that guide our work are inspired by Jenner’s own approach. We are:

Curious – we love to question the world around us.

Collaborative – we work with others to do more than we could achieve alone.

Informed – everything we do is based on rigorous research.

Inclusive – our story is for everyone.

Determined – we keep going in the face of adversity.

Re‑Jenner‑ation is the Trust’s long‑term renewal programme and Phase 1 sits within the 5‑year Forward Plan 2025–2030. This plan builds to 8 May 2030, which is the 50th anniversary of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaration of smallpox eradication. The Trust’s long‑term aim is to secure the museum as a nationally significant for heritage and science learning and engagement, alongside a renewed site ready to play a central role in the 2030 milestone.