Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a verdant, enigmatic, and green campus rich with wildlife and flora rarely found on other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct—every representation of Silwood Park holds true!
As an advocate for this lesser-recognized segment of Imperial, I wish to shed light on the student life, activities, and community present at our natural park campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
An overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park functions as Imperial’s outdoor research environment, covering 77 hectares and encompassing ecosystems such as freshwater streams, ponds, an “ancient” woodland, and open fields. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide with an online community of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, while an additional search on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been identified to date.
Moreover, Silwood Park serves as the location for numerous long-term field research initiatives, with projects like the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the most recognized conducted on-site.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
The campus predominantly accommodates postgraduate students engaged in endeavors related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us belong to various clubs based at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens that are raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – routinely meeting to discuss fascinating books
- Gardening Club – managing the community garden’s allotments
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and environmental activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also engage in activities of clubs associated with South Kensington!
In a more casual sense, we have clubs involved in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), which take place either on the multi-use games area (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club-related activities and courses, we host a variety of community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and facilitates these activities to foster a lively and dynamic student environment! Recently, we hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and we also celebrated Chinese New Year with dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-organized festivities for global events such as Carnival or simply to celebrate the joy of gatherings.
<pHowever, my favorite event on campus is the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student community. It's a part of Silwood culture that the quiz losers are responsible for setting the next one, and I can proudly claim to have organized the most quizzes this year. Even though I've lost many quizzes due to my limited general knowledge, it’s always a good time with great company and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Although it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively bustle of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or wanting. Alongside a multitude of events and activities, we foster a warm and inviting community of students from diverse backgrounds. We all cherish nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, most importantly, each other’s presence. We are a closely-knit community that relishes stargazing in the winter chill on the open field beside our bar, observing the birds and mammals that frequent our windows, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings