Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet focusing on Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they see a vibrant, enigmatic, and verdant campus bustling with wildlife and flora seldom found at other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – every portrayal of Silwood Park is true!
As an ambassador of this less-publicized community within Imperial, I would like to emphasize the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
A brief overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and boasting ecosystems including freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and expansive grasslands. A quick query on iNaturalist, an app designed for mapping and sharing biodiversity observations within a global social network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Moreover, a search on eBird shows that 111 bird species have been identified on campus thus far.
Intriguingly, Silwood Park is the site of numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more prominent studies conducted here.
Student experience at Silwood Park
The campus primarily hosts postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolution studies. Most of us engage in various clubs established at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens raised behind our student accommodations
- Book Club – who convene regularly to discuss titles of interest on their reading list
- Gardening Club – which tends to the allotments within our community garden
- Conservation Club – which organizes nature walks and conservation-related activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also get involved in activities from clubs located in South Kensington!
In addition, we informally have clubs participating in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), utilizing the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in neighboring towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and courses, we host numerous community-oriented events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and facilitates these activities, ensuring a vibrant and engaging student life! Recently, we held a Silwood language exchange, where our largely international community united to share languages and cultures over several weeks. We also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year at the year’s beginning, bringing everyone together to make dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-led parties celebrating global events (like Carnival) or parties simply for the joy of gathering.
However, my favorite on-campus event has to be the weekly pub quiz, hosted by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the quiz losers must set the next one, and I can proudly declare that I’ve set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Although I’ve lost countless pub quizzes due to my insufficient general trivia knowledge, there’s always great enjoyment to be found with wonderful company and a quality pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my home away from home
Even though it takes a 30-minute walk to reach the bustling heart of civilization (e.g., the train station and the closest village), life at Silwood Park has never been dull or lacking. In addition to the abundance of events and activities, we boast a warm and inviting community made up of students from around the globe. We all share a passion for nature, appreciate our stunning campus landscapes, and, most importantly, cherish each other’s company. We’re a tight-knit community that enjoys