By Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they conjure up an idyllic, enigmatic, and verdant campus brimming with wildlife and vegetation rarely encountered at other sites like South Kensington or White City. In numerous respects, they’re correct—every portrayal of Silwood Park holds true!
As an advocate for this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I aim to showcase the student experience, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
An overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, encompassing 77 hectares and showcasing environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and open fields. A straightforward inquiry on iNaturalist, an application for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide along with an online community of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. A further exploration on eBird discloses that 111 avian species have been noted on campus to date.
Notably, Silwood Park is also the locus of numerous extensive field research endeavors, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more recognized studies undertaken on-site.
Student life at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students focusing on projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us engage in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised at the rear of our halls of residence
- Book Club – frequently convening to discuss intriguing literature
- Gardening Club – overseeing the gardens in our community allotments
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation-oriented activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the wider Imperial student body, many of us also take part in the events hosted by clubs in South Kensington!
Casually, we have groups involved in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), based either on the multi-use games area (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Alongside club activities and classes, we host numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and manages such activities to foster a lively and engaging student experience! In recent months, we’ve enjoyed the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the start of the year, bringing everyone together to create dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also celebrated community-organized parties marking global events (such as Carnival) or simply parties thrown out of love for festivities.
My favorite event on campus is the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the losing team of the quiz organizes the next one, and I can proudly assert the highest number of quizzes set this year. Despite losing many quizzes due to my insufficient general trivia knowledge, there’s always enjoyment to be had with great company and a fine pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my sanctuary away from home
Even though it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively essence of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or lacking. Besides the multitude of events and activities, we enjoy a warm and inviting community comprised of students from all corners of the globe. We cherish nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, more importantly, each other’s presence. We’re a tight-knit community that relishes stargazing during the winter chill on the open field adjacent to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that