Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet focusing on Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they imagine a vibrant, intriguing, and green campus filled with wildlife and flora seldom encountered at other locations like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice for this lesser-known segment of the Imperial community, I wish to emphasize the student experience, activities, and camaraderie at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and showcasing environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A swift search on iNaturalist, a tool for mapping and sharing biodiversity observations with a global network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, a query on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been noted on campus thus far.
More fascinatingly, Silwood Park is the site of numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more famous studies carried out there.
Student Experience at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students with interests in ecology, conservation, and evolution research. Many of us belong to different clubs situated at Silwood Park. Prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised near our accommodation halls
- Book Club – meeting regularly to discuss noteworthy literature
- Gardening Club – overseeing the plots in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation activities for Silwood Park students.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, a lot of us also engage in clubs located at South Kensington!
Casually, we have organizations participating in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my absolute favorite!), utilizing either the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in neighboring towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and classes, there are plenty of community-led events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and facilitates such initiatives, ensuring an active and vibrant student life! In recent months, we have hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community exchanged languages and cultures over a few weeks, and our yearly 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 organized community parties celebrating global festivals (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of gathering.
My favorite campus event, however, must be the weekly pub quiz orchestrated by our student community. It’s part of Silwood tradition that the losers of the pub quiz host the next one, and I can proudly say I’ve set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Even with multiple losses due to my inadequate trivia knowledge, there’s always a great time spent with wonderful company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Although it is a 30-minute stroll from the lively essence of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt tedious or unvaried. Beyond the array of events and activities, we share a friendly and inviting community of students from across the globe. We all cherish nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, more significantly, each other’s companionship. We’re a tightly-knit community that delights in stargazing in the chilly winter weather in the open field adjacent to our bar, observing birds and mammals from our room windows, and spending moments together among fellow nature enthusiasts.
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