Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they imagine a verdant, enchanting, and lush campus brimming with wildlife and plant life rarely encountered at other locations like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are accurate – every representation of Silwood Park holds true!
As a member of this lesser-known community within Imperial, I would like to showcase the student experience, activities, and camaraderie present at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse into Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, encompassing 77 hectares and featuring habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open grassy areas. A quick query on iNaturalist, an app designed for mapping and sharing biodiversity findings globally alongside a social network of naturalists, reveals that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Additionally, a search on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been noted on campus to date.
Notably, Silwood Park hosts many long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more recognized studies conducted on-site.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students with interests in ecology, conservation, and evolution projects. Many of us are active in a variety of clubs based at Silwood Park. Some notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens raised behind our halls of residence
- Book Club – convening regularly to discuss selected books of interest
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation-themed activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, a number of us are also involved and actively engage in the clubs based in South Kensington!
Unformally, we also have clubs participating in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), which take place either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities located in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Beyond club activities and classes, numerous community-driven events occur on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council responsible for organizing and supporting such events, ensuring a lively and engaging student experience! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our largely international community gathered to share languages and cultures over a few weeks. We also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year event at the beginning of the year, where everyone joined in to make dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. Additionally, we’ve organized community parties celebrating various global festivities (like Carnival), or simply parties celebrated for the joy of gathering.
However, my favorite campus event has to be the weekly pub quiz hosted by our student community. It has become part of Silwood culture that the losers of the pub quiz are tasked with organizing the next one, and I proudly hold the record for the highest number of pub quizzes organized this year. Even though I’ve lost multiple pub quizzes due to limited general trivia knowledge, there’s always a good time to be had with great company and a cold pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Although it is a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), living at Silwood Park has never felt dull or insufficient. In addition to the many activities and events, we cultivate a warm and inviting community made up of students from across the globe. All of us