Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When most students from Imperial envision Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enigmatic, and green campus bustling with wildlife and plant life rarely found at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a member of this lesser-known segment of the Imperial community, I would like to showcase the student experience, activities, and the sense of community at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
A brief overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research hub, covering 77 hectares and encompassing various habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open meadows. A simple search on iNaturalist, an application designed for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations globally amongst a network of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, while an additional search on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been logged to date.
Furthermore, Silwood Park is the venue for numerous long-term field research initiatives, with projects like the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more recognized studies conducted here.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
This campus mainly accommodates postgraduate scholars focused on ecology, conservation, and evolutionary studies. A majority of us engage in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – convening regularly to discuss interesting reads
- Gardening Club – overseeing the community garden allotments
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation efforts for students on the Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also partake in the activities of clubs located in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs active in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my favorite!), held either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host numerous community-organized events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that manages and promotes such activities, guaranteeing a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we organized the Silwood language exchange, where our largely international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, and our yearly Chinese New Year celebration at the beginning of the year, where everyone participated in making dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We have also celebrated parties organized by the community for various global events (such as Carnival), or simply parties for the joy of celebration.
However, my favorite event on campus is the weekly pub quiz, orchestrated by our student community. It’s part of Silwood culture that the losing team of the pub quiz is responsible for organizing the next one, and I can proudly say I have set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Despite my frequent losses at multiple pub quizzes due to my limited general knowledge, there’s always a great time to be had with wonderful company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my sanctuary away from home
Even though it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively energy of civilization (e.g., the train station and the closest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or uninteresting. Besides the many events and activities, we enjoy a friendly and inclusive community made up of students from across the globe. We all have a passion for nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, most significantly, the company we share. We’re a tightly-knit group that relishes stargazing in the winter chill on the open field next to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our room windows, and spending quality time with fellow nature enthusiasts.