Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students think about Silwood Park, they picture a lush, enchanting, and green campus bustling with animals and plants seldom found at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they’re spot on – every picture of Silwood Park that comes to mind is correct!
As a member of this lesser-known Imperial community, I want to emphasize the student life, activities, and camaraderie at our natural park campus situated in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park acts as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and including environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open meadows. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations globally with an online community of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. A further investigation on eBird confirms that 111 bird species have been noted on campus up to this point.
More intriguingly, Silwood Park is home to many long-term field research initiatives, such as the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project, which are two of the more notable studies carried out on the premises.
Student Life at Silwood Park
The campus is mainly home to postgraduate students keen on ecology, conservation, and evolution research. Many of us engage in various clubs located at Silwood Park. Some prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – taking care of the chickens that are raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – regularly discussing literature of interest from their reading list
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation endeavors for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, several of us also join and participate actively in the activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
In an informal setting, we have clubs that engage in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), using the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Alongside club activities and classes, we also host a variety of community-led events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and supports these activities, ensuring an exciting and lively student experience! Recently, we’ve held the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and we welcomed the Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, making dumplings and couplets to celebrate the new lunar year. Additionally, we’ve organized community parties to commemorate global events (such as Carnival) or simply for the enjoyment of gatherings.
My favorite event at the campus is the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student community. It has become a Silwood tradition that the quiz losers are responsible for setting the next one, and I can proudly say I have organized the most quizzes this year. Despite my numerous losses due to my lack of general trivia knowledge, there is always a great time to be had with good company and a nice pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Home Away from Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (like the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park never seems boring or unfulfilling. Beyond the many events and activities, we enjoy a warm and friendly community of students from various parts of the world. We all share a love for nature, appreciate our picturesque campus grounds, and most importantly, enjoy each other’s presence. We’re a tight-knit community that relishes in stargazing on chilly winter evenings in the open field next to our bar, watching the birds and mammals that visit our window, and spending quality time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I cook with my close friend from India, who shares my passion for