Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a verdant, enchanting, and green locale bustling with wildlife and plant species rarely seen at our other locations like South Kensington or White City. In numerous aspects, they’re correct – each depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As an ambassador for this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I wish to shed light on the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus situated in Ascot, Berkshire.
An overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, encompassing 77 hectares and showcasing environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick look on iNaturalist, a platform for documenting and sharing biodiversity insights globally with a network of naturalists, unveils that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, and a further investigation on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have already been identified on campus.
Moreover, Silwood Park is the venue for many enduring field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project standing out as two of the more recognized endeavors performed on-site.
Campus life at Silwood Park
The campus primarily houses postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolution-related projects. Most of us participate across several clubs based at Silwood Park. Prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for the care of chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – meeting regularly to engage in discussions about their reading list
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – facilitating nature walks and conservation-themed activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us are also members and actively take part in activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we also have groups involved in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), which take place either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in the indoor sports halls located in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and facilitates such initiatives to ensure we enjoy a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community united to share our languages and cultures over several weeks, and our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the beginning of the year, where everyone gathered to create dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also seen community-organized festivities celebrating global events (such as Carnival), or simply parties for the joy of gathering.
However, my all-time favorite campus event has to be the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s part of Silwood tradition that the quiz losers must host the next one, and I can proudly assert that I’ve set the most pub quizzes this year. Despite my frequent losses due to my limited general knowledge, there’s always enjoyment in great company and a fine pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my home away from home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively energy of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or deficient. In addition to the multitude of events and activities, we benefit from a friendly and inviting community made up of students from all corners of the globe.