Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they conjure an expansive, enigmatic, verdant campus filled with diverse wildlife and plants rarely encountered at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – each depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice for this lesser-known community within Imperial, I would like to shed light on the student experience, activities, and sense of community at our ecological parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, stretching over 77 hectares and featuring habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and expansive meadows. A quick query on iNaturalist, a platform for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations with a global network of naturalists, reveals that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been cataloged on the grounds. A further inquiry on eBird uncovers that 111 bird species have been recorded on campus thus far.
Notably, Silwood Park also hosts numerous long-term research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more recognized studies undertaken here.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students with interests in ecology, conservation, and evolution. Most of us belong to several clubs based here at Silwood Park. Some prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – dedicated to caring for the chickens raised behind our student residences
- Book Club – which meets frequently to discuss interesting items from their reading list
- Gardening Club – responsible for maintaining the plots in our community garden
- Conservation Club – which organizes nature excursions and conservation-related activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the wider Imperial student community, many of us are also affiliated with and actively engage in clubs based in South Kensington!
Additionally, we casually partake in sports clubs such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports halls located in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Beyond club activities and courses, numerous community-driven events take place on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and supports these activities to foster a lively and exciting student experience! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community united to share languages and cultures over several weeks. We also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year event earlier this year, where everyone came together to make dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve had community-organized celebrations for various global events (like Carnival) or simply gatherings to enjoy the spirit of celebration.
However, my favorite campus event must be the weekly pub quiz, hosted by our student community. It has become a tradition at Silwood that those who lose the pub quiz are responsible for organizing the next one, and I can proudly say that I’ve set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Although my general trivia knowledge means I’ve lost numerous times, there’s always plenty of joy to be found in good company and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively scene of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or insufficient. In addition to the multitude of events and activities, we enjoy a warm and inviting community made up of students from across the globe. We all cherish