Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet specializing in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When Imperial students envision Silwood Park, they picture a vibrant, enigmatic, and verdant campus abundant with distinctive flora and fauna, which set it apart from other campuses like South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they’re correct – every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice from this lesser-known community at Imperial, I wish to emphasize the student experience, activities, and camaraderie at our nature-filled parkland campus situated in Ascot, Berkshire.
Introducing Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s open-air laboratory, covering 77 hectares and showcasing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and expansive grasslands. A quick exploration on iNaturalist, an application dedicated to mapping and sharing biodiversity observations globally among a network of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. A deeper dive on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been noted on campus to date.
Additionally, 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.
Life as a Student at Silwood Park
The campus is mainly home to postgraduate students engaged in studies concerning ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us participate in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Some prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised behind our residential halls
- Book Club – meeting regularly to discuss captivating reads
- Gardening Club – looking after the plots in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation-themed activities for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us are also active members of clubs based in South Kensington and take part in their events too!
In addition, we have informal clubs engaging in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (which happens to be my favorite!), typically held at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club activities and classes, we host numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and facilitates such events to promote a lively and enjoyable student lifestyle! Recently, we held a Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community collaborated to share languages and cultural experiences over several weeks, and we also honored the annual Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year by making dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. Community-organized parties celebrating events from across the globe (such as Carnival) or merely for the joy of celebration have also taken place.
However, my absolute favorite event on campus has to be the weekly pub quiz, hosted by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the quiz losers have to organize the next event, and I can proudly assert that I have set up the most pub quizzes this year. Despite my frequent defeats due to limited general trivia knowledge, there’s always enjoyable moments to be had with great company and a refreshing pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Second 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 tedious or insufficient. In addition to the multitude of events and activities, we have a friendly and inviting community composed of students from around the globe. We all cherish nature, adore our stunning campus landscape, and above all, delight in each other’s presence. We form a close-knit community that relishes stargazing during winter.