Composed by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students imagine Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enchanting, and verdant campus brimming with wildlife and plant life seldom encountered at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In numerous respects, they are correct – and every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As an ambassador for this lesser-known sector of Imperial, I wish to showcase the student experience, activities, and community at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse into Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and open grasslands. A quick query on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging and exchanging biodiversity observations globally alongside a social network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, an inquiry on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been observed on campus thus far.
More fascinatingly, Silwood Park is home to numerous long-term field research endeavors, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two of the more prominent studies conducted on-site.
Student life at Silwood Park
The campus mainly accommodates postgraduate students focusing on ecology, conservation, and evolution-related projects. Many of us are members of several clubs based at Silwood Park. Some noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – caring for the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – regularly convening to converse about books of interest
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our communal garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
Being a part of the larger Imperial student body, many of us also engage in activities of clubs located in South Kensington!
Informally, we have clubs that participate in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), either on the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
Aside from club activities and educational sessions, we host a multitude of community-led events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and facilitates these events to foster a lively and dynamic student life! In recent months, we organized the Silwood language exchange, where our largely international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, and we celebrated Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, making dumplings and couplets to ring in the new lunar year. We’ve also had community-hosted parties celebrating global festivities (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of gathering.
My favorite campus event, however, is the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s part of Silwood culture that the pub quiz losers arrange the next one, and I can proudly declare the highest number of pub quizzes organized this year. Despite losing many pub quizzes due to my limited general knowledge, there’s always great enjoyment with wonderful company and a decent pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my home away from home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively heartbeat of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearby village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed tedious or unfulfilling. Aside from countless events and activities, we enjoy a warm and inviting community of students from around the globe. We all cherish nature, our stunning campus grounds, and, most importantly, each other’s companionship. We’re a tight-knit community that enjoys stargazing in the frosty winter on the open field next to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that grace our room windows, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
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