Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they imagine a lush, enchanting, and green campus filled with wildlife and plant life not typically seen at other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they are right—every envisioned aspect of Silwood Park rings true!
As a representative of this lesser-known Imperial community, I want to showcase the student experience, activities, and camaraderie at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Presenting Silwood Park
Silwood Park acts as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and containing habitats including freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive meadows. A quick search on iNaturalist, an app designed for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations globally with a network of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Moreover, eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been noted on campus thus far.
Even more fascinating, Silwood Park is home to many long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more prominent studies conducted here.
Campus Life at Silwood Park
The campus primarily hosts postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolution endeavors. Many of us actively engage in multiple clubs based at Silwood Park. Some notable examples are:
- Chicken Club – taking care of the chickens raised behind our dormitories
- Book Club – meeting regularly to discuss books of interest from their reading selection
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation efforts for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, many of us also join and take part in activities of clubs located in South Kensington!
Additionally, we have informal clubs engaging in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and lessons, we conduct numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and facilitates these activities to ensure an enriching and lively student life! Recently, we hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks. We also celebrated the annual Chinese New Year at the start of the year, making dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We have also held community-organized parties to honor global celebrations (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of festivities.
However, my favorite event on campus is the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student community. It has become part of Silwood culture that the quiz losers must organize the following one, and I can proudly state that I’ve set the highest number of quizzes this year. Even though I often lose due to my lack of general trivia knowledge, it’s always a good time with great company and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Second Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (e.g., the train station and the closest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or insufficient. Along with numerous events and activities, we boast a warm and friendly community comprising students from around the globe. We all cherish nature, value our stunning campus grounds, and, more importantly, enjoy spending time together. We’re a close-knit community that loves stargazing in the winter chill on the open field beside our bar, observing the birds and mammals visiting our room windows, and enjoying the company of fellow nature enthusiasts.