Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When Imperial students generally picture Silwood Park, they think of a vibrant, enigmatic, and green campus bursting with wildlife and plant life seldom found at other locations like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they’re correct—and every visualization of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice for this lesser-known part of Imperial, I’d like to emphasize the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
Overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park functions as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares with ecosystems including freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and open pastures. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide with an online community of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, and a further check on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been noted thus far.
Moreover, Silwood Park serves as the backdrop for numerous long-term field research initiatives, with projects like the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more prominent studies conducted on-site.
Student Experience at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate scholars focused on studies related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Most of us engage in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Some noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised behind our halls of residence
- Book Club – regularly assembling to discuss intriguing books
- Gardening Club – overseeing the plots in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation-themed activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, many of us also take part in activities organized by clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs that engage in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my favorite by far!), occurring either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Beyond club engagements and classes, we host numerous community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that plans and coordinates these activities, fostering a lively and dynamic student experience! In recent months, we’ve hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over a series of weeks, as well as our annual Chinese New Year festivity at the beginning of the year, where everyone gathered to prepare dumplings and couplets to ring in the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-organized celebrations for global events (like Carnival) or just parties for the joy of gathering.
My favorite event on campus, however, has to be the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the teams who lose the pub quiz must host the next one, and I can proudly state that I have set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Despite frequently losing pub quizzes due to my limited general knowledge, there’s always ample enjoyment to be had with good friends and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively bustle of civilization (like the train station and the nearby village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed tedious or insufficient. In addition to the myriad events and activities, we boast a friendly and inviting community of students from across the globe. We all share a passion for nature, adore our stunning campus grounds, and more importantly, relish each other’s company. We’re a close-knit group that enjoys winter stargazing in the chilly open air.