Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a verdant, enigmatic, and green campus rich with wildlife and plants rarely found at other locations like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, their perceptions are correct – every portrayal of Silwood Park is true!
As a voice from this lesser-known facet of Imperial, I aim to showcase the student experience, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse into Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing ecosystems 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 globally with a community of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, and an additional search on eBird shows that 111 bird species have been documented on campus to date.
Curiously, Silwood Park is home to numerous long-term field research initiatives, with Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more prominent studies conducted on-site.
The student experience at Silwood Park
The campus primarily hosts postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolution projects. Many of us engage in several clubs based at Silwood Park. Key examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for the care of the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – which meets regularly to discuss books of interest
- Gardening Club – managing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation-oriented activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, several of us also join activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
We also have informal clubs engaging in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), whether on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and facilitates these activities to ensure a lively and enjoyable student life! Recently, we held a Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and we also celebrated Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, making dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. Community-organized parties celebrating global events (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of gatherings have also taken place.
My favorite campus event must be the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s part of Silwood tradition that the quiz losers are responsible for setting the next one, and I can proudly claim the record for the highest number of pub quizzes organized this year. Even though I’ve lost many quizzes due to my lack of general trivia knowledge, there’s always great enjoyment with wonderful company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my home away from home
Although located a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or deficient. Alongside the myriad events and activities, we enjoy a friendly and inclusive community of students from around the globe. We all share a passion for nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, most importantly, each other’s companionship. We’re a close-knit group that savors stargazing in the wintry air in the open field beside our bar, observing the birds.