Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, intriguing, and verdant campus alive with wildlife and plants seldom encountered at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In numerous aspects, they are correct – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice for this lesser-known segment of the Imperial community, I wish to showcase the student experience, activities, and community 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 habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations with a global network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on the premises. A further inquiry on eBird reveals that 111 species of birds have been observed on campus to date.
Interestingly, Silwood Park also hosts many extensive field research initiatives, with 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
The campus is predominantly home to postgraduate scholars focused on projects in ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us engage in various clubs situated at Silwood Park. Prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – caring for the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – regularly discussing intriguing literature
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation-oriented activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As participants in the broader Imperial student community, numerous members among us also engage in activities from clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs that participate in sports including badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby areas like Bracknell or Ascot.
Alongside club activities and academic classes, we host numerous community-led events on the premises. Silwood Park maintains its own student council that coordinates and manages such events, ensuring an active and engaging student life! Recently, we organized the Silwood language exchange, where our largely international population shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and our annual Chinese New Year festivity at the year’s outset, bringing everyone together to create dumplings and couplets to greet the new lunar year. We have also enjoyed community-organized celebrations for global occasions (like Carnival) or simply to revel in festivities.
My personal favorite event on campus is the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student body. It has become a Silwood tradition that the team finishing last in the pub quiz must host the next one, and I can proudly assert that I’ve set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Despite my frequent losses in pub quizzes owing to my weak general knowledge, there’s always plenty of enjoyment in good company with a nice pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively essence of civilization (like the train station and the nearby village), life at Silwood Park has never felt monotonous or deficient. Beyond the many events and activities, we revel in a friendly and open community encompassing students from across the globe. We all cherish nature, our stunning campus environment, and, most importantly, one another’s company. We’re a close community that enjoys stargazing in the winter chill in the open field adjacent to our bar, observing birds and mammals grace our room windows,