Written by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When students from Imperial picture Silwood Park, they see a lush, enigmatic, and green campus bursting with distinctive flora and fauna, contrasting with other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many ways, they are right—every vision of Silwood Park is indeed true!
As an advocate for this lesser-known Imperial community, I seek to showcase the student life, activities, and community within our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
An Introduction to Silwood Park
Silwood Park acts as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and encompassing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and open fields. A quick check on iNaturalist, a platform for documenting and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide with a network of naturalists, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Furthermore, a query on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been identified on campus thus far.
Even more fascinating, Silwood Park is home to a variety of long-term field research initiatives, including the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project, two of the more prominent studies undertaken here.
Life as a Student at Silwood Park
The campus mainly hosts postgraduate students involved in ecology, conservation, and evolutionary studies. Many of us are active in several clubs situated at Silwood Park. Notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – tending to the chickens raised behind our student accommodations
- Book Club – regularly convening to discuss interesting reads
- Gardening Club – overseeing the community garden plots
- Conservation Club – arranging nature walks and conservation initiatives for Silwood Park students.
As part of the larger Imperial student body, many of us also engage in clubs and activities based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs that participate in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), either at the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or at indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club gatherings and lessons, we host a variety of community-led events on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and facilitates these events to ensure a vibrant and enjoyable student experience! Recently, we hosted the Silwood language exchange, where our international community shared languages and cultures over several weeks, and we celebrated Chinese New Year with dumplings and couplets to greet the new lunar year. We’ve also had community-organized parties celebrating international festivities (such as Carnival) or simply for the joy of gathering.
My favorite campus event, however, is the weekly pub quiz, coordinated by our student community. It’s a Silwood tradition that the pub quiz losers create the next one, and I can proudly say that I have set the highest number of quizzes this year. Even though I’ve lost many quizzes due to my limited general trivia knowledge, there’s always enjoyment to be found with good company and a pint of beer.
Silwood Park: My Home Away From Home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (such as the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed monotonous or insufficient. Beyond the many events and activities, we have a friendly and inviting community of students from across the globe. We all share a love for nature, appreciate our stunning campus grounds, and, even more importantly, enjoy each other’s presence. We’re a tight-knit community that relishes stargazing in the winter chill in the open field next to our bar, observing the birds and mammals that visit our windows, and spending time with fellow nature lovers.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with my dear friend from India, who