Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they think of a lush, enchanting, and green campus overflowing with distinctive plants and animals, setting it apart from other locations like South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they are right, and every thought of Silwood Park is true!
As a representative of this lesser-known faction within Imperial, I aim to shine a light on the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Presenting Silwood Park
Silwood Park functions as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and featuring habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and open meadows. A brief search on iNaturalist, an application for tracking and sharing biodiversity observations globally within a network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, an inquiry on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been noted on campus up to now.
Interestingly, Silwood Park is home to several long-term research initiatives, including the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project, which are among the more distinguished projects carried out on-site.
Student Life at Silwood Park
The campus mainly caters to postgraduate students focusing on ecology, conservation, and evolutionary studies. Many of us are engaged in diverse clubs based at Silwood Park. Some notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – in charge of looking after the chickens raised behind our dorms
- Book Club – meets regularly to discuss intriguing reads from their list
- Gardening Club – tends to the plots in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranges nature walks and conservation activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the larger Imperial student body, many of us also engage in activities offered by clubs located in South Kensington!
Unofficially, we have clubs that are involved in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (which happens to be my favorite!), taking place either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Beyond club activities and classes, we host a variety of community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and supports such events to maintain a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we celebrated the Silwood language exchange, where our diverse international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks. At the beginning of the year, we also welcomed the new lunar year by making dumplings and couplets during our annual Chinese New Year celebration. Additionally, we’ve organized community parties to honor global celebrations (like Carnival) or simply to enjoy the spirit of festivities.
My favorite event on campus, however, is the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s part of the Silwood culture that those who lose the pub quiz must host the next one, and I can proudly state that I have set the most pub quizzes this year. Although I have lost many pub quizzes due to my limited general trivia knowledge, there’s always great enjoyment with terrific company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Second Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the bustling heart of civilization (like the train station and nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or insufficient. Beyond the abundance of events and activities, we enjoy a friendly and inviting community made up of students from all around the globe. We all appreciate nature, treasure our beautiful campus grounds, and, most importantly, relish one another’s company. We’re a tightly-knit community that loves stargazing in the winter chill on the open field adjacent to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our room windows, and spending quality time with fellow nature enthusiasts.