Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet focusing on Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students imagine Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enchanting, and green campus alive with species that are rarely encountered on other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct—every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a representative of this lesser-known community within Imperial, I aim to showcase the student experience, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus situated in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse into Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s open-air research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing various habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick inquiry on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging and sharing biodiversity sightings worldwide alongside a social network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Additionally, a search on eBird shows that 111 bird species have been documented on the campus thus far.
Notably, Silwood Park is home to numerous long-term field research projects, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the most recognized studies conducted on-site.
Life of students at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolutionary studies. Many of us engage in various clubs situated at Silwood Park. Some noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – frequently discussing works of interest from our reading lists
- Gardening Club – overseeing the plots in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation initiatives for Silwood Park students.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also take part in the activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
Informally, we have clubs participating in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities located in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Alongside club activities and classes, we enjoy numerous community-organized events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that coordinates such activities, fostering a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we hosted the Silwood language exchange, allowing our largely international community to share languages and cultures over several weeks, and we also marked Chinese New Year with dumplings and couplets to greet the new lunar year. Moreover, we’ve seen community-organized parties celebrating global events (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of celebration.
My favorite campus event, however, must be the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the quiz losers arrange the next one, and I can proudly assert that I have set the most quizzes this year. Although I’ve lost many quizzes due to my limited general knowledge, it always guarantees a great time with delightful company and a cold pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it is a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (such as the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never been dull or insufficient. Apart from various events and activities, we foster a friendly and inviting community of students from across the globe. We all cherish nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, most importantly, each other’s company. We form a close-knit community that enjoys stargazing in the winter chill on the open field beside our bar, observing birds and mammals at our room windows, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I cook with my dear