Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet focusing on Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students conjure images of Silwood Park, they picture a verdant, enchanting campus brimming with wildlife and flora seldom found on other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a spokesperson for this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I aim to showcase the student experience, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
A brief overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing ecosystems such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and expansive grasslands. A swift search on iNaturalist, an application for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide with a network of naturalists, unveils that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, while eBird notes 111 bird species cataloged to date.
Interestingly, Silwood Park is home to numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more notable studies conducted here.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
The campus primarily supports postgraduate students keen on ecology, conservation, and evolution research projects. Many of us belong to various clubs based at Silwood Park. Some prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens located behind our residence halls
- Book Club – meeting regularly to discuss selected literary works
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our communal garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation-focused activities for Silwood Park students.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also engage in clubs and activities based in South Kensington!
In an informal capacity, we have clubs participating in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), utilizing the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and academic lessons, we enjoy a plethora of community-organized events on campus. Silwood Park hosts its own student council that organizes and facilitates events, ensuring a lively and dynamic student life! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our largely international community came together to share languages and cultures over several weeks, alongside our annual Chinese New Year celebration where everyone participated in making dumplings and couplets to celebrate the new lunar year. We’ve also had community-hosted gatherings celebrating global festivities (like Carnival) or simply for the sheer joy of festivities.
However, my favorite event on campus must surely be the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student community. It has become a tradition at Silwood that the losing team of the pub quiz sets up the following one, and I can proudly state I have organized the most pub quizzes this year. Despite my frequent defeats due to my lack of general trivia knowledge, the atmosphere remains enjoyable with great friends and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively pulse of civilization (for instance, the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt monotonous or uninteresting. Alongside countless events and activities, we share a friendly and inclusive community of students from around the globe. We all cherish nature, our splendid campus surroundings, and most importantly, each other’s company. We form a tight-knit community that delights in stargazing on chilly winter nights in the open field adjacent to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our windows, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with my dear friend