Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a verdant, enigmatic campus alive with wildlife and plant species seldom found in other locations like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – every portrayal of Silwood Park holds true!
As a representative of this lesser-known faction within Imperial, I wish to shed light on the student experience, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus situated in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse into Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, encompassing 77 hectares and including habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick query on iNaturalist, an app designed for mapping and sharing biodiversity observations with a global network of naturalists, reveals that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, while a further search on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been noted thus far.
Notably, Silwood Park is also the venue for many extensive field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the most recognized studies carried out on-site.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
The campus primarily hosts postgraduate students with an interest in projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us partake in multiple clubs established at Silwood Park. Some prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – which meets regularly to discuss engaging literature
- Gardening Club – which oversees the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – which arranges nature walks and conservation-related activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
Being part of the broader Imperial student community, a number of us also engage in activities offered by clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have groups involved in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), utilizing either the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Aside from club initiatives and lessons, we host numerous community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and facilitates these activities to ensure a lively and vibrant student experience! Recently, we’ve participated in the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community united to share languages and cultures over several weeks, as well as our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the beginning of the year, bringing everyone together to create dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also hosted community-organized parties celebrating global events (like Carnival) or gatherings organized simply for the enjoyment of festivities.
However, my favorite campus event has to be the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student body. It’s a part of Silwood culture that the losers of the pub quiz are responsible for setting the next one, and I can proudly assert that I’ve set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Despite losing numerous quizzes due to my lack of general trivia knowledge, there’s always a great time to be had with wonderful company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively ambiance of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or unfulfilling. Alongside a multitude of events and activities, we have a friendly and accepting community composed of students from across the globe. We all cherish nature, our stunning campus surroundings, and, more importantly, each other’s companionship. We’re a tight-knit team.