Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When most students at Imperial envision Silwood Park, they picture a verdant, enchanting, and green-campus buzzing with wildlife and plants rarely encountered at other campuses like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – every representation of Silwood Park holds true!
As a representative of this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I wish to emphasize the student life, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus situated in Ascot, Berkshire.
An overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, spanning 77 hectares and comprising habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for mapping and sharing biodiversity observations with a global community of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. A further investigation on eBird uncovers that 111 bird species have been noted on campus thus far.
Interestingly, Silwood Park also hosts numerous long-term field research projects, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more prominent studies conducted onsite.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students engaged in ecology, conservation, and evolution research. Most of us are active in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – taking care of the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – periodically gathering to discuss interesting reads
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation-based activities for students on the Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, many of us also engage in activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
In an informal setting, we have clubs participating in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
Aside from club activities and classes, we have various community-led events on campus. Silwood Park possesses its own student council that organizes and facilitates these activities to maintain a lively and exciting student life! Recently, we hosted the Silwood language exchange, during which our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks. We also celebrated the Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, crafting dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. Community-organized parties celebrating global events (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of gathering have also taken place.
However, my favorite campus event must be the weekly pub quiz, orchestrated by our student community. It’s part of Silwood culture that the losers of the pub quiz are responsible for creating the next one, and I can proudly assert that I hold the record for the highest number of pub quizzes set this year. Even though I have lost many pub quizzes due to my lacking general trivia knowledge, there’s always a great deal of fun to be had with good company and a fine pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively pulse of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt boring or deficient. Alongside the many events and activities, we have a friendly and inclusive community of students from around the globe. We share a love for nature, appreciate our stunning campus grounds, and, more significantly, enjoy each other’s company. We form a close-knit community that relishes stargazing in the winter chill on the open field adjacent to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that grace our surroundings.