Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they see a verdant, intriguing, and green campus rich with wildlife and plants that are rare at other campuses like South Kensington or White City. They are correct in many respects – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice for this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I want to showcase the student experience, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and encompassing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open grassy areas. A simple search on iNaturalist, an application for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide within a community of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, a look at eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been spotted on campus to date.
Notably, Silwood Park is home to several long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more esteemed studies conducted on-site.
Life as a Student at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students engaged in ecology, conservation, and evolution research. Many of us are active in various clubs situated at Silwood Park. Some prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – taking care of the chickens that are raised behind our student residences
- Book Club – frequently meeting to explore and discuss intriguing literature
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the larger Imperial student body, many of us also engage in club activities based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs involved in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either at the multi-use games area (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
Alongside club activities and classes, there are many community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and manages such events to promote a lively and dynamic student life! Recently, we celebrated the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community exchanged languages and cultures over a few weeks, along with our annual Chinese New Year festivity at the start of the year, where everyone joined to prepare dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also had community-hosted parties celebrating global events (like Carnival) or simply parties held for the joy of it.
However, my favorite event on campus is the weekly pub quiz, managed by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the losing team from the pub quiz organizes the next one, and I can proudly say I have set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Even though I’ve lost many quizzes due to my poor general knowledge, there’s always great fun with delightful friends and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively essence of city life (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), existence at Silwood Park has never felt boring or lacking. Besides the multitude of events and activities, we share a friendly and inviting community of students from all corners of the globe. We all cherish nature, our picturesque campus surroundings, and, more significantly, each other’s company. We’re a close-knit group that loves stargazing in the chilly winter on the open field beside our bar, and watching the birds and mammals that visit our room windows.