Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When many Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they see a vibrant, enigmatic, and green campus brimming with wildlife and plants rarely found at other locations like South Kensington or White City. In several aspects, they are correct – and every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice for this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I wish to shine a light on the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research center, covering 77 hectares and encompassing ecosystems such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick inquiry on iNaturalist, an app used for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide within an online network of naturalists, reveals that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, and a further inquiry on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been observed on campus to date.
Additionally, Silwood Park is the venue for multiple long-term field research projects, with Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more recognized initiatives conducted on-site.
Student experience at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate scholars focused on research in ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us are members of various clubs based at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – which meets regularly to engage in discussions about selected readings
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments within our community garden
- Conservation Club – which organizes nature excursions and conservation-related activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, several of us also join in with clubs that are headquartered in South Kensington!
Casually, we have groups that participate in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), taking place either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Alongside club activities and classes, we host numerous community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that plans and facilitates these activities to guarantee a lively and engaging student experience! Recently, we’ve hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community gathered to share languages and cultures over several weeks, and we also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, where everyone collaborated to make dumplings and couplets to welcome in the new lunar year. We’ve also organized community parties to celebrate global events (like Carnival) or gatherings simply for the joy of celebration.
However, my favorite campus event would undoubtedly be the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s a part of Silwood tradition that the quiz losers are tasked with organizing the next one, and I can proudly declare I have set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Even though I’ve lost many quizzes due to my inadequate general trivia knowledge, there’s always great enjoyment to be found with wonderful company and a delicious pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s situated a 30-minute walk from the bustling atmosphere of civilization (such as the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed boring or insufficient. Besides the plethora of events and activities, we have a friendly and hospitable community composed of students from around the globe. We all share a passion for nature and cherish our stunning campus grounds.