24 London Road

Formerly 1 Priory Parade, this house, which is marked by a blue plaque, is where the botanical explorer and naval surgeon Dr David Lyall (1817–95), lived after retiring to Cheltenham.

A close friend of Ted’s father, Lyall often gave thrilling accounts of his adventures as an explorer, including when he was medical officer and naturalist on Sir James Ross’s Erebus and Terror expedition (1839–42), the first ever scientific expedition to the Antarctic. Lyall’s stories undoubtedly contributed to Wilson senior’s knowledge of the ‘least explored portion of the globe’ – Wilson gave a lecture on Antarctica in 1901 as President of Cheltenham Natural Science Society.

Turn back along London Road towards the town centre, continuing onto the High Street to the corner of Rodney Road.