Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they see a rich, enigmatic, and verdant campus filled with wildlife and plants that are not often found at our other locations such as 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 Imperial, I wish to shine a light on the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
A brief overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and showcasing environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and expansive grasslands. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application enabling users to document and share observations of biodiversity worldwide within a network of naturalists, reveals that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus, and a further inquiry on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been identified on campus to date.
More intriguingly, Silwood Park is the location for numerous long-term research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more prominent studies undertaken on-site.
Life as a student at Silwood Park
The campus primarily hosts postgraduate students keen on projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many individuals among us are engaged in various clubs located at Silwood Park. Noteworthy mentions include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the hens kept behind our residence halls
- Book Club – who meet frequently to discuss books of interest from their reading lists
- Gardening Club – who oversee the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – who arrange nature walks and conservation-themed activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the larger Imperial community, many of us are also active members, often participating in the events of clubs based in South Kensington!
Additionally, we have unofficial clubs that partake in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), occurring either on the multi-use games area (MUGA) on campus or within the indoor sports facilities found in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Beyond club activities and classes, we host a variety of community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and facilitates these events to maintain a dynamic and engaging student life! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community united to share our languages and cultures over several weeks. We also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, where everyone collaborated on making dumplings and couplets to welcome in the new lunar year. Furthermore, we have community-organized parties celebrating numerous festivals from across the globe (like Carnival), or gatherings simply for the joy of celebration.
However, my favorite event on campus is undoubtedly the weekly pub quiz, orchestrated by our student body. It’s a part of Silwood tradition that the team with the lowest score in the quiz will host the subsequent one, and I can proudly state that I hold the record for setting the most pub quizzes this year. Despite frequently losing trivia contests due to my limited knowledge of general topics, there’s always ample enjoyment to be found with great company and a nice pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my sanctuary away from home
Even though it’s situated a 30-minute stroll from the vibrant atmosphere of civilization (such as the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or lacking. In addition to the myriad of events and activities, we possess a warm and inviting