Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet focusing on Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enchanting, and green campus bustling with wildlife and plants not typically found at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In many aspects, they are right – every depiction of Silwood Park holds truth!
As a member of this lesser-known faction at Imperial, I wish to shed light on the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park functions as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick inquiry on iNaturalist, an application designed for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations globally within a community of naturalists, uncovers that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, an exploration on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been identified on campus to date.
Interestingly, Silwood Park also hosts numerous long-term field research initiatives, including the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project, which are among the more recognized studies conducted on-site.
Student life within Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolutionary studies. Many of us engage in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – nurturing the chickens raised behind our student accommodations
- Book Club – frequently discussing books of interest
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation-related activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student collective, many of us also partake in the activities of clubs situated in South Kensington!
Casually, we have groups participating in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or within indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host various community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park possesses its student council that organizes and manages such activities, ensuring a lively and stimulating student life! In recent months, we’ve experienced the Silwood language exchange, where our international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and our annual Chinese New Year festivity at the beginning of the year, during which everyone prepared dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-led parties celebrating global occasions (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of celebration.
My favorite campus occasion is the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student community. It’s part of Silwood’s culture that those who lose the pub quiz must organize the next one, and I can proudly declare the highest number of pub quizzes organized this year. Even though I’ve lost numerous pub quizzes due to my lack of general knowledge, it’s always great fun 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 (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or unfulfilling. Alongside an abundance of events and activities, we foster a warm and inviting community made up of students from around the globe. We all cherish nature, our stunning campus, and, more importantly, each other’s presence. We’re a close-knit group that enjoys stargazing in the winter chill on 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 cook with my dear