Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students imagine Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enigmatic, and verdant campus overflowing with wildlife and plants seldom encountered at other locations like South Kensington or White City. In numerous aspects, they are indeed correct – every representation of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice from this less-familiar community at Imperial, I wish to shed light on the student experience, activities, and camaraderie at our nature-rich campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse into Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s open-air laboratory, covering 77 hectares and encompassing environments like freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A brief inquiry on iNaturalist, an app dedicated to cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations globally among a social network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus; additionally, a search on eBird reveals 111 bird species documented thus far.
Moreover, Silwood Park hosts numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more notable studies performed on-site.
Student experience at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students who are keen on projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us are involved in various clubs situated at Silwood Park. Some prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – taking care of the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – meeting regularly to discuss books of mutual interest
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation efforts for students on campus.
As part of the larger Imperial student body, many of us also engage in the activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs participating in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club engagements and classes, we host many community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and facilitates such activities to ensure a dynamic and exciting student life! Recently, we’ve hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, and our annual Chinese New Year festivity, where everyone gathered to make dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also had community-organized parties celebrating global events (such as Carnival) or simply for the joy of celebrating.
<pMy favorite campus event, however, is the weekly pub quiz, coordinated by our student community. It’s a part of Silwood culture that the losing team from the pub quiz sets the next one, and I can proudly assert that I’ve set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Even though I’ve lost a fair share of pub quizzes due to my limited general trivia knowledge, there’s always great fun with good company and a decent pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or deficient. Apart from a multitude of events and activities, we have a friendly and inviting community of students from various parts of the world. We all share a passion for nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, more significantly, each other’s presence. We’re a tightly-knit community that delights in stargazing in the winter chill on the open field beside our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our room windows, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with my close friend from India, who shares my enthusiasm for Asian cuisine and birdwatching.