Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When many Imperial scholars picture Silwood Park, they visualize a lush, enigmatic, and green campus brimming with wildlife and flora seldom encountered at other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they’re correct – every mental image of Silwood Park is on point!
As a member of this lesser-known enclave at Imperial, I wish to showcase the student experience, activities, and community present at our natural parkland campus situated in Ascot, Berkshire.
An Overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and showcasing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A brief inquiry on iNaturalist, an app dedicated to mapping and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide within an online community of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Moreover, a lookup on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been identified on campus so far.
Intriguingly, Silwood Park is also the location of numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more widely recognized studies conducted on-site.
The Student Experience at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students drawn to projects focused on ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us take part in several organizations based at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – tasked with the care of the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – regularly convening to discuss books of interest on their reading agenda
- Gardening Club – overseeing the plots in our community garden
- Conservation Club – coordinating nature walks and conservation-related activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also engage in activities of organizations based in South Kensington!
Casually, we also have clubs participating in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), played either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities located in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Beyond club-related activities and classes, we have several community-led events happening on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that coordinates and manages such events to guarantee a lively and thrilling student life! In recent months, we’ve hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community gathered to exchange languages and cultures over several weeks, and we also welcomed the lunar new year with our annual Chinese New Year celebration, where we made dumplings and couplets to greet the new lunar year. Additionally, we’ve organized community gatherings celebrating global festivities (like Carnival) or simply to revel in parties.
My favorite campus occasion, however, has to be the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s ingrained in Silwood culture that those who lose the pub quiz are responsible for setting the next one, and I can boldly assert the highest number of pub quizzes organized this year. Despite losing many pub quizzes due to my inadequate general trivia knowledge, there’s always delightful fun to be had with great company and a quality pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Second Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively essence of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or insufficient. Alongside the countless events and activities, we enjoy a warm and inviting community made up of students from across the globe. We all share a love for nature, cherish our beautiful campus grounds, and more importantly, savor each other’s company. We’re a close-knit community that relishes