Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enigmatic, and verdant campus bustling with flora and fauna not typically found at our other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they’re correct – every portrayal of Silwood Park holds true!
As a spokesperson for this lesser-known hub at Imperial, I would like to emphasize the student experience, engagements, and community within our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and featuring ecosystems such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open meadows. A quick inquiry on iNaturalist, an application for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations globally within a social network of naturalists, reveals that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. A search on eBird shows that 111 bird species have been documented on campus as well.
Interestingly, Silwood Park is also home to numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more recognized studies conducted here.
Student life at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolution research. Many of us are members of several clubs based at Silwood Park. Some noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens behind our halls of residence
- Book Club – who meet regularly to discuss interesting titles from their reading lists
- Gardening Club – who oversee the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – who arrange nature walks and conservation-oriented activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also take part in club activities based at South Kensington!
Informally, we have clubs that engage in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), utilizing either the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities located in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host a variety of community-led events on campus. Silwood Park features its own student council that organizes and oversees these activities, ensuring an enriching and dynamic student life! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our largely international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, along with our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the beginning of the year, where everyone gathered to make dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also had community-organized celebrations for global events (like Carnival), or parties simply fueled by the love of festivity.
My favorite event on campus, however, has to be the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student body. It’s a Silwood tradition that the losers of the pub quiz host the next one, and I can proudly say I’ve set the most pub quizzes this year. Although I’ve lost many pub quizzes due to my unfortunate trivia knowledge, it’s always a great time with wonderful company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively pulse of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never been dull or wanting. In addition to the many events and activities, we have a friendly and inviting community made up of students from around the globe. We all share a passion for nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, most importantly, each other’s company. We’re a close-knit group that delights in stargazing