Composed by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When most students from Imperial think about Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enigmatic, and green campus rich with wildlife and flora that are seldom found at other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a member of this lesser-known community at Imperial, I want to showcase the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A brief look on iNaturalist, an application for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations on a global scale with a network of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Additionally, a search on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been observed on campus to date.
Furthermore, Silwood Park is home to numerous long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more distinguished studies conducted on-site.
Student life at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students keen on ecology, conservation, and evolution initiatives. Many of us are part of various clubs based at Silwood Park. Some prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – which looks after the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – which regularly meets to discuss interesting literature
- Gardening Club – which tends to the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – which organizes nature walks and conservation-related activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, many of us also engage in activities offered by clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we also have clubs participating in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), taking place either 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 events and classes, we host numerous community-led gatherings on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and oversees these activities, fostering a lively and engaging student atmosphere! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community united to share languages and cultures over several weeks, and we also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, preparing dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also organized community gatherings to celebrate global occasions (like Carnival) or simply for the enjoyment of festivities.
My preferred campus event, however, is the weekly pub quiz, coordinated by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the losers of the pub quiz organize the subsequent one, and I can proudly say I have set the most pub quizzes this year. Despite failing multiple pub quizzes due to my lack of general trivia knowledge, it’s always a blast with great company and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my home away from home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively essence of civilization (like the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or lacking. Alongside the various events and activities, we enjoy a warm and inviting community of students from across the globe. We all share a love for nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, more importantly, each other’s companionship. We’re a tight-knit community that delights in stargazing in the cold winter air on the open field next to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our room windows.