Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, mysterious, and green campus bustling with wildlife and plant species rarely found at other locations like South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they are right – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice for this lesser-known segment of the Imperial community, I want to emphasize the student life, engagements, and community within our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Discovering Silwood Park
Silwood Park acts as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, encompassing 77 hectares and showcasing ecosystems such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open grasslands. A brief exploration on iNaturalist, a platform for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide within a network of naturalists, uncovers that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, a check on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been identified on campus to date.
Even more fascinating, Silwood Park hosts various long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the most recognized studies conducted here.
Student Life at Silwood Park
The campus mainly serves postgraduate students passionate about ecology, conservation, and evolutionary research. Many among us are active in different clubs based at Silwood Park. Notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – caretakers of the chickens kept behind our residence halls
- Book Club – regular meetups to discuss intriguing literature
- Gardening Club – overseers of the allotments within our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizators of nature walks and conservation activities for Silwood Park students.
As participants in the broader Imperial student body, many of us also join clubs in South Kensington!
Informally, we have groups participating in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), utilizing either the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports venues in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park features its own student council that organizes and coordinates such happenings, ensuring a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we celebrated the Silwood language exchange, where our international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and our yearly Chinese New Year gathering, where we all came together to prepare dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also celebrated community-organized parties for global festivities (like Carnival) or simply to enjoy the spirit of celebration.
My favorite campus tradition is the weekly pub quiz, orchestrated by our student community. There’s a Silwood custom that the quiz losers are tasked with setting the next one, and I can proudly claim the highest number of quizzes arranged this year. Despite my repeated failures due to my poor general trivia knowledge, it’s always a blast with great company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Home Away from Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively excitement of civilization (such as the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or wanting. In addition to the plentiful events and activities, we have a friendly and inviting community made up of students from across the globe. We all share a love for nature, appreciate our stunning campus grounds, and, most importantly, enjoy each other’s presence. We’re a tightly-knit community that takes pleasure in stargazing during the winter chill in the open field adjacent to our bar, observing birds and mammals through our room windows, and spending quality time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with my dear friend from