Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they imagine a vibrant, enchanting, green campus bustling with wildlife and vegetation seldom 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 voice for this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I wish to shed light on the student experience, activities, and community present at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
An overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide within an online community of naturalists, reveals that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, while a search on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been documented here so far.
Notably, Silwood Park also hosts numerous long-term field research initiatives, including the well-regarded Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project conducted on site.
Campus life at Silwood Park
The campus primarily houses postgraduate students engaged in projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us belong to various clubs situated at Silwood Park. Key examples include:
- Chicken Club – which tends to the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – which meets regularly to discuss interesting literature
- Gardening Club – which oversees the community garden’s allotments
- Conservation Club – which arranges nature walks and conservation activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us are also involved in and actively participate in clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we also have clubs engaging in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), hosted either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities located in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and academic lessons, we enjoy various community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and facilitates these activities, ensuring a lively and engaging student atmosphere! In recent months, we’ve hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our largely international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, and we also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, where everyone came together to create dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. Additionally, we’ve organized community parties acknowledging celebrations from across the globe (like Carnival) or simply gatherings for the joy of partying.
However, my favorite campus event has to be the weekly pub quiz, hosted by our student community. It’s a part of Silwood culture that the quiz losers must organize the next one, and I can proudly say that I hold the record for the most quizzes set this year. Although I’ve lost many pub quizzes due to my lacking trivia knowledge, there’s always enjoyment to be found in great company over a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though we are a 30-minute stroll from the lively energy of nearby civilization (e.g., the train station and the closest village), life at Silwood Park has never been dull or wanting. In addition to the myriad of events and activities, we have a friendly and inviting community made up of students from around the globe. We cherish nature, appreciate our stunning campus grounds, and more.