Written 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 wildlife and plants rarely seen at our other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In numerous ways, they are spot on – every image imagined of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice for this lesser-known part of Imperial, I wish to showcase the student experience, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park acts as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and containing ecosystems like freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and expansive grasslands. A brief look on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging 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, while a further inquiry on eBird shows 111 bird species identified to date.
More intriguingly, Silwood Park is home to several long-term field research initiatives, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more prominent studies carried out on-site.
Experiencing Student Life at Silwood Park
The campus primarily hosts postgraduate students focused on ecology, conservation, and evolutionary studies. Many of us engage in various clubs located at Silwood Park. Some notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – meeting regularly to discuss literature of interest
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments within our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation initiatives for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student network, many of us also join activities from clubs based in South Kensington!
Informally, we have clubs focusing on sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), held either on the multi-use games area (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and classes, we host numerous community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and coordinates such activities to promote a lively and engaging student life! In recent months, we enjoyed the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community shared their languages and cultures over several weeks, and 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 have also seen community-organized gatherings celebrating global events (like Carnival) or simply for the love of festivities.
However, my favorite campus event is the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the quiz losers must arrange the next one, and I can proudly assert that I hold the record for the most pub quizzes set this year. Although I have lost many pub quizzes due to my limited general knowledge, there’s always great fun to be had with good friends and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Home Away from Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively buzz of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt monotonous or unexciting. Beyond the many events and activities, we have a friendly and inclusive community made up of students from around the globe. We all appreciate nature, value our splendid campus grounds, and, most importantly, enjoy each other’s company. We’re a tight-knit community that relishes stargazing in the winter chill on the open field adjacent to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our windows, and spending time