Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When students at Imperial envision Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enchanting, and verdant campus brimming with distinctive animals and plants that are rare at other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they are right – every depiction of Silwood Park is true!
As a member of this lesser-known group at Imperial, I aim to emphasize the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Welcome to Silwood Park
Silwood Park functions as Imperial’s external laboratory, covering 77 hectares and showcasing habitats like freshwater streams, lakes, a historical forest, and expansive grasslands. A brief search on iNaturalist, an application designed for mapping and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide among a community of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been documented on campus. Furthermore, an inquiry on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been recorded on campus to date.
Interestingly, Silwood Park is also the venue for many long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the most recognized studies conducted on-site.
Student Experience at Silwood Park
The campus predominantly accommodates postgraduate students engaged in ecology, conservation, and evolution research. Many of us are involved in various clubs situated at Silwood Park. Notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – caring for the chickens kept behind our halls of residence
- Book Club – meeting regularly to discuss engaging literature
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation initiatives for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the wider Imperial student body, many of us also engage in clubs based in South Kensington!
Informally, we have clubs that participate in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), taking place either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and classes, we host numerous community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that coordinates and facilitates these activities, ensuring an energetic and thrilling student experience! Recently, we organized the Silwood language exchange, where our international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, as well as our annual Chinese New Year celebration, where everyone made dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also held community-organized parties to celebrate global occasions (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of socializing.
My favorite campus event is the weekly pub quiz, run by our student community. It’s part of Silwood culture that the quiz losers are responsible for setting up the next one, and I can proudly claim the highest number of quizzes organized this year. Even though I’ve lost countless quizzes due to my limited general knowledge, there’s always enjoyment to be found with good friends and a fine pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Second Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively ambiance of town (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park never feels dull or insufficient. Beyond the many events and activities, we have a friendly and inviting community of students from across the globe. We all share a love for nature, our picturesque campus grounds, and, more importantly, each other’s company. We’re a closely-knit community that enjoys stargazing in the winter chill on the open field beside 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 close friend from India, who