Composed by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they imagine a vibrant, enigmatic, and verdant campus bustling with flora and fauna not often found at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In numerous respects, they’re correct – and every portrayal of Silwood Park holds true!
As a representative of this lesser-known faction within Imperial, I aim to showcase the student life, activities, and community present in our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
A brief overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, spanning 77 hectares and encompassing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for mapping and sharing biodiversity observations globally with a social network for naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. A further inquiry on eBird reveals that 111 species of birds have been documented on campus thus far.
Interestingly, Silwood Park also hosts numerous long-term field research projects, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project being two prominent studies conducted on-site.
Student experience at Silwood Park
The campus mainly caters to postgraduate students keen on projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Most of us are members of various clubs based at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – meeting regularly to discuss intriguing books
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation initiatives for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, we often engage in activities from clubs situated in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs involved in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my absolute favorite!), taking place either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or in indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
Alongside club activities and classes, many community-driven events occur on campus. Silwood Park possesses its own student council that organizes and facilitates such activities, ensuring a lively and dynamic student life! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, allowing our predominantly international community to share languages and cultures over several weeks. We also commemorated the annual Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year by making dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. Additionally, we’ve hosted community-organized parties in celebration of global events (such as Carnival) or simply for the joy of festivities.
However, my favorite campus event is the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student community. Within Silwood culture, it’s tradition that the losers of the pub quiz set up the next one, and I can proudly state that I have the highest number of pub quizzes set this year. Even though I’ve lost many pub quizzes owing to my inadequate general trivia knowledge, the good company and a nice pint of beer always guarantee a fantastic time.
Silwood Park: my second home
Despite being a 30-minute walk from the lively energy of civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt ordinary or deficient. In addition to the myriad of events and activities, we enjoy a friendly and inclusive community of students from around the globe. We share a passion for nature, our stunning campus surroundings, and, above all, each other’s company. We’re a close community that relishes stargazing in the winter chill on the open field next to our pub, observing the birds and mammals that visit our room windows, and spending moments with fellow nature enthusiasts.