Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When students from Imperial picture Silwood Park, they conjure an image of a verdant, enigmatic, and green campus brimming with distinct wildlife and plant life, distinct from those found at other campuses like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are right—every depiction of Silwood Park is true!
As a representative of this lesser-known community within Imperial, I aim to showcase the student life, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and incorporating habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A brief search on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations globally with an online network of naturalists, uncovers that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, a search on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been identified on campus thus far.
Interestingly, Silwood Park is also the site of numerous long-term field research initiatives, including the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project, which are among the more recognized projects undertaken on-site.
Student Life at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students engaged in ecology, conservation, and evolutionary projects. Many of us partake in several clubs situated at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – regularly meeting to discuss books of interest
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation-oriented activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, many of us also join in activities hosted by clubs operating in South Kensington!
Informally, we have clubs involved in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), either at the multi-use games area (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and coordinates such activities, ensuring a lively and engaging student experience! In recent months, we have held the Silwood language exchange, where our international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, and our annual Chinese New Year celebration, during which everyone made dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also celebrated community-organized gatherings honoring global events (like Carnival) or simply for the love of festivities.
My favorite campus event is the weekly pub quiz, orchestrated by our student community. It’s part of Silwood culture that the quiz losers arrange the next one, and I can proudly declare the highest number of pub quizzes organized this year. Despite losing multiple quizzes due to my limited general trivia knowledge, there’s always great enjoyment with great company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Home Away from Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from bustling civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or lacking. Alongside many events and activities, we have a warm and friendly community of students from across the globe. We all cherish nature, our beautiful campus grounds, and, more significantly, one another’s company. We’re a close-knit community who revel in stargazing in the winter chill on the open field next to our bar, observing birds and mammals grace our windows, and spending time among fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with my dear friend from India, who shares my passion for