Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they conjure an image of a vibrant, enchanting, green campus abundant with wildlife and vegetation rarely found at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In numerous respects, their impressions are correct – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a member of this lesser-known faction at Imperial, I’d like to showcase the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and encompassing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A straightforward inquiry on iNaturalist, an application for mapping and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide with an online community of naturalists, reveals that a total of 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. A further examination on eBird indicates that 111 species of birds have been identified on campus to date.
Notably, Silwood Park is also the venue for numerous long-term field research studies, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being among the more recognized initiatives carried out on-site.
Life as a Student at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolution projects. Many of us engage in several clubs that operate at Silwood Park. Some well-known examples are:
- Chicken Club – tending to chickens kept behind our residence halls
- Book Club – regularly engaging in discussions about interesting reads
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our shared community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation initiatives for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, numerous members of our cohort also take part in activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs that engage in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), using the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and academic pursuits, we host many events organized by the community on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that coordinates and supports these initiatives, ensuring a vibrant and dynamic student life! In recent months, we’ve organized the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared languages and cultures over a few weeks, and our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the beginning of the year, where everyone participated in making dumplings and couplets to celebrate the new lunar year. We’ve also had community-organized gatherings honoring global events (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of socializing.
One of my favorite campus activities is the weekly pub quiz, coordinated by our student community. It’s a part of Silwood tradition that the losing team of the pub quiz hosts the next one, and I can proudly assert the highest number of pub quizzes organized this year. Despite failing multiple pub quizzes due to my poor general knowledge, there’s always enjoyable times with great company and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Although it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively atmosphere of the town (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never been dull or insufficient. In addition to the many events and activities, we share a friendly and welcoming community made up of students from across the globe. We all cherish nature, admire our stunning campus surroundings, and, more significantly, each other’s company. We’re a close-knit community that delights in stargazing during the winter chill in the open field beside our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our windows, and spending time surrounded by nature.