Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet focusing on Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they imagine a verdant, enchanting, and green campus overflowing with wildlife and plants seldom found at other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they’re correct – each depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice of this lesser-known faction within Imperial, I want to shed light on the student experience, activities, and community present at our natural parkland campus situated in Ascot, Berkshire.
An introduction to Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s field laboratory, covering 77 hectares and showcasing habitats like freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick look on iNaturalist, an application for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations globally within an online community of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, and an additional search on eBird indicates 111 bird species noted thus far.
Interestingly, Silwood Park accommodates numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project among the well-regarded projects conducted onsite.
Student life at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students passionate about ecology, conservation, and evolution studies. Most of us are engaged in various clubs established at Silwood Park. Notable examples encompass:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens reared behind our residence halls
- Book Club – meeting regularly to deliberate on intriguing books
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – coordinating nature walks and conservation activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also involve ourselves in the activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs for sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports venues in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we have numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park features its own student council, which organizes and facilitates such activities to guarantee a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we’ve hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, alongside our annual Chinese New Year celebration, where everyone crafted dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-organized celebrations for global events (like Carnival) or parties simply for the joy of gathering.
My favorite event on campus is the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the quiz losers prepare the next one, and I can proudly claim the highest number of quizzes organized this year. Despite frequently losing pub quizzes due to my limited general trivia knowledge, it’s always a delightful experience with wonderful company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my home away from home
Although a 30-minute walk from the lively essence of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or insufficient. Along with numerous events and activities, we boast a friendly and inviting community of students from various corners of the globe. We all cherish nature, our gorgeous campus grounds, and, more importantly, each other’s companionship. We form a close-knit community that delights in stargazing during the winter chill in the open field adjacent to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our room windows, and enjoying time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with my dear friend from