Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students think of Silwood Park, they envision a vibrant, mysterious, and green campus brimming with wildlife and plants not commonly encountered at other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they are right—every depiction of Silwood Park holds true!
As a member of this lesser-known segment of the Imperial community, I strive to showcase the student engagement, activities, and atmosphere at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
Welcome to Silwood Park
Silwood Park acts as Imperial’s open-air laboratory, covering 77 hectares and featuring environments such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A brief exploration on iNaturalist, an application dedicated to mapping and disseminating biodiversity observations worldwide among a network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been documented on campus. Additionally, a search on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been identified on campus to date.
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 distinguished studies conducted on-site.
Life as a Student at Silwood Park
The campus mainly hosts postgraduate students who focus on projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us participate in various clubs based at Silwood Park. Prominent examples include:
- Chicken Club – looking after the chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – frequently meeting to discuss books of shared interest
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – coordinating nature walks and conservation initiatives for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, many of us also engage in the activities of clubs located in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs participating in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my absolute favorite!), located either 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 have a variety of community-led events on campus. Silwood Park features its own student council that organizes and facilitates such events, ensuring a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our predominantly international community came together to share languages and cultures over several weeks, and we also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year at the year’s start, making dumplings and couplets to usher in the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-organized parties celebrating global festivities (like Carnival) or simply parties for the joy of it.
Nevertheless, my favorite campus event is the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s part of Silwood culture that the losers of the pub quiz must prepare the next one, and I can proudly say I’ve orchestrated the most pub quizzes this year. Though I often lose due to my inadequate general trivia knowledge, there’s always a great time with good company and a nice pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Home Away from Home
Despite being a 30-minute stroll from the lively buzz of civilization (e.g., the train station and closest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or lacking. Along with numerous events and activities, we enjoy a friendly and inviting community made up of students from around the globe. We all cherish nature, love our gorgeous campus grounds, and more importantly, appreciate each other’s company. We are a tight-knit community that finds joy in stargazing during the chilly winter nights on the open field beside our bar, observing the birds and mammals that frequent our surroundings.