Composed by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enigmatic, and verdant campus bustling with distinct wildlife and flora, quite different from those at South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct—every depiction of Silwood Park is true!
As a voice for this lesser-known segment of the Imperial community, I’d like to showcase the student life, activities, and camaraderie 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 ecosystems such as freshwater channels, ponds, an “ancient” woodland, and expansive meadows. A quick search on iNaturalist, an app for documenting and sharing biodiversity insights globally within a community of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on the campus. A further inquiry on eBird shows that 111 bird species have been observed on campus to date.
Notably, Silwood Park hosts several long-term field research initiatives, including the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project, both prominent studies carried out on-site.
Student experience at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolutionary research. Many of us belong to various clubs based at Silwood Park. Some significant examples include:
- Chicken Club – caring for the chickens raised near our residence halls
- Book Club – regularly engaging in discussions about intriguing books
- Gardening Club – overseeing the community garden allotments
- Conservation Club – arranging nature excursions and conservation activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As members of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also engage in activities organized by clubs based in South Kensington!
Informally, we have clubs that partake in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), located either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or within indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Alongside club activities and academic lessons, we host numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and facilitates these events, ensuring a lively and dynamic student experience! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, as well as our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the beginning of the year, during which everyone made dumplings and couplets to greet the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-organized gatherings celebrating global events (such as Carnival) or simply for the joy of socializing.
However, my favorite campus event is the weekly pub quiz, coordinated by our student community. It’s a tradition at Silwood that the losers of the pub quiz organize the next one, and I can confidently assert that I have set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Despite losing a number of pub quizzes due to my lack of general trivia knowledge, there’s always great fun with wonderful company and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (like the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or lacking. Beyond numerous events and activities, we boast a friendly and inviting community of students from various parts of the world. We all cherish nature, our stunning campus landscape, and, most importantly, one another’s company. We’re a close-knit group that enjoys stargazing in the chilly winter nights on the open field beside our bar, observing birds and mammals visiting our room windows, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with