Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
When many students from Imperial envision Silwood Park, they imagine a verdant, enigmatic, and green campus bustling with wildlife and vegetation rarely found at other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In several respects, they are correct – and every representation of Silwood Park holds true!
As a member of this lesser-known faction at Imperial, I aim to shine a light on the student experience, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and encompassing environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open fields. A quick search on iNaturalist, a platform for recording and sharing biodiversity information globally with a vast network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Further investigation on eBird uncovers that 111 bird species have been observed on the grounds thus far.
Notably, Silwood Park is also the venue for numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two prominent studies taking place on-site.
Student experience at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students engaged in projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us are involved in several clubs based at Silwood Park. Some notable ones include:
- Chicken Club – tending to chickens raised behind our residential halls
- Book Club – frequently discussing literature of interest
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments within our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature outings and conservation efforts for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, several of us also engage in activities of clubs situated in South Kensington!
Casually, we have groups involved in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), utilizing either the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club initiatives and classes, we host numerous community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council, which organizes and facilitates such events to foster an engaging and dynamic student life! Recently, we’ve held the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international group shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the beginning of the year, where everyone participated in making dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-organized gatherings celebrating global happenings (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of gatherings.
My favorite campus event is the weekly pub quiz, coordinated by our student community. It has become a Silwood tradition that the losers of the pub quiz are responsible for setting the next one, and I can proudly claim the record for the most pub quizzes set this year. Although I’ve lost many quizzes due to my lack of general knowledge, there’s always great fun accompanied by fantastic company and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Although situated a 30-minute walk from the lively pulse of civilization (such as the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has consistently felt vibrant and fulfilling. Beyond the myriad events and activities, we enjoy a friendly and inviting community of students from across the globe. We all appreciate nature, our picturesque campus grounds, and, most significantly, one another’s presence. We’re a close-knit community that relishes stargazing in the chilly winter on the open fields adjacent to our bar, observing birds and mammals adorn our window views, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.