Silwood Park
Encyclopedia
Silwood Park is the rural campus of Imperial College London
, England
. It is situated near the village of Sunninghill
, near Ascot
in Berkshire
. Since 1986, there have been major developments on the site with four new college buildings. Adjacent to these buildings is the Technology Transfer Centre: a science park
with units leased to commercial companies for research.
There are a number of the divisions of Faculty of Natural Sciences that have a presence on the campus. Additionally, Silwood Park is home to the NERC Centre for Population Biology (CPB), the International Pesticide Application Research Consortium
(IPARC), and the Imperial College Reactor Centre.
, Silwood Park was a private residence
—the manor house
of Sunninghill
—then during the war, it became a convalescent home for airmen. The original manor at which Prince Arthur stayed in 1499 was known as Eastmore and was situated on the hill near Silwood Farm. In about 1788, Sir James Sibbald built a Georgian mansion on part of the present house and demolished the old "Eastmore"; he called it Selwood or Silwood Park. The name stems from the Old English for Sallow (Salix caprea Agg.) which presumably grew then along the banks of the streams that flow through the Park. The house was, in its turn, demolished, and the present mansion was completed in 1878.
In 1947, Silwood Park was purchased by Imperial College for entomological
research and field studies. Initially, pioneering developments in insect pest management took place, but more recently the emphasis has been on ecology
and evolution
ary biology. Staff and research students of the Zoology Department were the first college personnel at Silwood when the Field Station moved from Slough
, but the department of Civil Engineering
has used it since 1947 for courses in surveying. Botany
and Meteorology
started work there about thirty years ago and the nuclear reactor was opened in 1965. Over a thousand postgraduate students have been trained at Silwood since its establishment, about half of them taking PhD
s. They have come from more than sixty countries, and Silwood-trained graduates have gone to almost every corner of the globe. There are over 200 graduate staff and students working there at any one time. Undergraduates from South Kensington attend for field courses and some final-year projects. In 1981, the departments of Zoology and Botany were merged to form the Department of Biology.
In 1984, the CAB International
Institute of Biological Control (IIBC) moved its headquarters to Silwood Park. In 1989, the institute moved into its own new building at Silwood Park, which also houses the Michael Way Library, specialising in ecology, entomology and crop protection. From January 1998, IIBC and its sister Institutes of Entomology, Mycology and Parasitology were integrated on two sites as CABI
Bioscience. The Silwood site was the centre for the LUBILOSA
Programme, where an inter-disciplinary team could be set up, combining IIBCs biological control skills with (bio)pesticide application
(IPARC
) and host-pathogen ecology
(CPB). CABI continued to focus on biological pest, disease and weed management in Silwood Park until consolidation at Egham
(to become the UK Centre) in 2008.
Many of the Silwood Park staff have spent periods working on pest problems overseas. Their continuing contacts as visiting advisers, on lecturing programmes, and in international committees together with close liaison with CABI, the Natural Resources Institute, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Natural Environment Research Council Institutes, and many connections through past and present students and academic visitors, means that work at Silwood Park maintains an international flavour. Support is obtained from Research Councils, other Government Bodies and Industry.
In 2001, the Biology and Biochemistry Departments merged to form the Department of Biological Sciences within the Faculty of Life Sciences. In 2005, further restructuring occurred and the Centre for Environmental Policy, Cell and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biosciences and Biology were moved to the Faculty of Natural Sciences. In 2007 the Divisions of Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology and Molecular Biosciences were moved into the Department of Life Sciences within the Faculty of Natural Sciences. The Division of Biology, which hosts various MSc
courses, is based at Silwood Park and at Imperial College's South Kensington
campus in southwest London
.
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated near the village of Sunninghill
Sunninghill, Berkshire
Sunninghill is a village in the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English shire county of Berkshire-Location:...
, near Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Since 1986, there have been major developments on the site with four new college buildings. Adjacent to these buildings is the Technology Transfer Centre: a science park
Science park
A research park, science park, or science and technology park is an area with a collection of buildings dedicated to scientific research on a business footing. There are many approximate synonyms for "science park", including research park, technology park, technopolis and biomedical park...
with units leased to commercial companies for research.
There are a number of the divisions of Faculty of Natural Sciences that have a presence on the campus. Additionally, Silwood Park is home to the NERC Centre for Population Biology (CPB), the International Pesticide Application Research Consortium
IPARC
The International Pesticide Application Research Consortium , previously the International Pesticide Application Research Centre and before that the Overseas Spray Machinery Centre , has focused on pesticide application methods appropriate for smallholder farmers since 1955...
(IPARC), and the Imperial College Reactor Centre.
History
Prior to World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Silwood Park was a private residence
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
—the manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of Sunninghill
Sunninghill
Sunninghill may refer to:*Sunninghill, Berkshire, England*Sunninghill, Gauteng, South Africa...
—then during the war, it became a convalescent home for airmen. The original manor at which Prince Arthur stayed in 1499 was known as Eastmore and was situated on the hill near Silwood Farm. In about 1788, Sir James Sibbald built a Georgian mansion on part of the present house and demolished the old "Eastmore"; he called it Selwood or Silwood Park. The name stems from the Old English for Sallow (Salix caprea Agg.) which presumably grew then along the banks of the streams that flow through the Park. The house was, in its turn, demolished, and the present mansion was completed in 1878.
In 1947, Silwood Park was purchased by Imperial College for entomological
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
research and field studies. Initially, pioneering developments in insect pest management took place, but more recently the emphasis has been on ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary biology. Staff and research students of the Zoology Department were the first college personnel at Silwood when the Field Station moved from Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
, but the department of Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
has used it since 1947 for courses in surveying. Botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and Meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
started work there about thirty years ago and the nuclear reactor was opened in 1965. Over a thousand postgraduate students have been trained at Silwood since its establishment, about half of them taking PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
s. They have come from more than sixty countries, and Silwood-trained graduates have gone to almost every corner of the globe. There are over 200 graduate staff and students working there at any one time. Undergraduates from South Kensington attend for field courses and some final-year projects. In 1981, the departments of Zoology and Botany were merged to form the Department of Biology.
In 1984, the CAB International
CAB International
CAB International is a not-for-profit inter-governmental organisation based in the United Kingdom....
Institute of Biological Control (IIBC) moved its headquarters to Silwood Park. In 1989, the institute moved into its own new building at Silwood Park, which also houses the Michael Way Library, specialising in ecology, entomology and crop protection. From January 1998, IIBC and its sister Institutes of Entomology, Mycology and Parasitology were integrated on two sites as CABI
CABI
CABI is an abbreviation that may refer to:*The California Birth Index database*CAB International , a non-profit enterprise providing information and databases in the Life Sciences...
Bioscience. The Silwood site was the centre for the LUBILOSA
LUBILOSA
LUBILOSA was the name of a research programme that aimed at developing a biological alternative to the chemical control of locusts. This name is an acronym of the French title of the programme: Lutte Biologique contre les Locustes et les Sauteriaux...
Programme, where an inter-disciplinary team could be set up, combining IIBCs biological control skills with (bio)pesticide application
Pesticide application
Pesticide application refers to the practical way in which pesticides, are delivered to their biological targets...
(IPARC
IPARC
The International Pesticide Application Research Consortium , previously the International Pesticide Application Research Centre and before that the Overseas Spray Machinery Centre , has focused on pesticide application methods appropriate for smallholder farmers since 1955...
) and host-pathogen ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
(CPB). CABI continued to focus on biological pest, disease and weed management in Silwood Park until consolidation at Egham
Egham
Egham is a wealthy suburb in the Runnymede borough of Surrey, in the south-east of England. It is part of the London commuter belt and Greater London Urban Area, and about south-west of central London on the River Thames and near junction 13 of the M25 motorway.-Demographics:Egham town has a...
(to become the UK Centre) in 2008.
Recent activities
Silwood Park provides a wide range of habitats for the study of animals and plants in the field and for the study of meteorological and geophysical phenomena: its special feature is the proximity of these to modern sophisticated laboratory equipment, such as the Environmental Analysis Section computers, the flight and photoperiod laboratories and in the numerous growth cabinets and controlled environment rooms.Many of the Silwood Park staff have spent periods working on pest problems overseas. Their continuing contacts as visiting advisers, on lecturing programmes, and in international committees together with close liaison with CABI, the Natural Resources Institute, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Natural Environment Research Council Institutes, and many connections through past and present students and academic visitors, means that work at Silwood Park maintains an international flavour. Support is obtained from Research Councils, other Government Bodies and Industry.
In 2001, the Biology and Biochemistry Departments merged to form the Department of Biological Sciences within the Faculty of Life Sciences. In 2005, further restructuring occurred and the Centre for Environmental Policy, Cell and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biosciences and Biology were moved to the Faculty of Natural Sciences. In 2007 the Divisions of Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology and Molecular Biosciences were moved into the Department of Life Sciences within the Faculty of Natural Sciences. The Division of Biology, which hosts various MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...
courses, is based at Silwood Park and at Imperial College's South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
campus in southwest London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.