Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they see a vibrant, enigmatic, and verdant campus bustling with wildlife and vegetation rarely found at other locations like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct, and each depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a representative of this lesser-known faction within Imperial, I wish to underscore 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 research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open grasslands. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for mapping and sharing biodiversity observations globally with a network of naturalists online, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, while further inquiry on eBird shows that 111 bird species have been identified to date.
Perhaps more fascinating, Silwood Park is home to numerous long-term field studies, among which the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project are two of the more recognized initiatives conducted here.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students with an interest in ecology, conservation, and evolutionary research. Many of us are engaged in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – who care for the chickens located behind our residence halls
- Book Club – who meet regularly to discuss books of mutual interest
- Gardening Club – who oversee the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – who arrange nature walks and conservation-oriented activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, numerous members also take part in activities organized by clubs in South Kensington!
Informally, we have groups that participate in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and classes, we have multiple community-led events on campus. Silwood Park operates its own student council that coordinates and facilitates such events to promote a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we hosted the Silwood language exchange, bringing together our largely international community to share languages and cultures over several weeks, as well as our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the start of the year, where everyone crafted dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-organized parties celebrating global events (like Carnival) or simply gatherings for the joy of partying.
However, my favorite campus event must be the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s become a Silwood tradition that the losers of the pub quiz organize the next one, and I can proudly boast the highest number of quizzes set this year. Despite losing many of these challenges due to my limited trivia knowledge, there’s always enjoyment to be found in good company and a nice pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the bustling energy of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or lacking. In addition to the myriad events and activities, we boast a warm and friendly community made up of students from various corners of the world. We all share a love for nature, appreciate our beautiful campus grounds, and, importantly, enjoy each other’s company. We form a close-knit community that relishes the time spent together.