Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When students at Imperial envision Silwood Park, they picture a verdant, enigmatic, and green campus overflowing with distinctive plants and animals, a stark contrast to other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they are right, and every mental image they create of Silwood Park holds true!
As a member of this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I aim to showcase the student life, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Presenting Silwood Park
Silwood Park acts as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and comprising ecosystems such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open grasslands. A brief search on iNaturalist, an app that maps and shares biodiversity observations globally with a network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, eBird has documented 111 bird species noted on campus so far.
Interestingly, Silwood Park is also home to several long-term research initiatives, including the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project, both of which are among the more recognized studies conducted on location.
Student Life at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students involved in ecology, conservation, and evolutionary studies. Many of us engage in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens kept behind our residential halls
- Book Club – regularly convening to discuss interesting reads
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation events for students on the Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the wider Imperial student body, many of us also get involved with activities of clubs situated in South Kensington!
Casually, we host clubs for sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Beyond club endeavors and classes, we have numerous community-led events at school. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and supports such initiatives, ensuring a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, and we marked Chinese New Year with dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also celebrated community-organized parties for global events (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of parties.
My favorite campus occasion is the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s part of Silwood culture that those who lose the quiz must host the next one, and I can proudly claim the record for the highest number of quizzes set this year. Despite losing many quizzes due to my inadequate general trivia knowledge, there’s always plenty of fun with good friends and a fine pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Second Home
Even though it is a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (e.g., the train station and the closest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or insufficient. Alongside a plethora of events and activities, we have a friendly and inviting community of students from all over the globe. We all love nature, treasure our beautiful campus grounds, and, most importantly, appreciate each other’s company. We’re a tight-knit community that relishes stargazing in the chilly winter on the open field beside our bar, observing birds and mammals grace our room windows, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with my dear friend from India, who