Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they see a vibrant, enchanting, and verdant campus alive with wildlife and plant life rarely found at other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In numerous respects, they are correct – every portrayal of Silwood Park is accurate!
As a member of this lesser-known Imperial community, I wish to emphasize the student experience, activities, and camaraderie at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
An overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, covering 77 hectares and featuring ecosystems such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and open grasslands. A quick search on iNaturalist, an application for cataloging and sharing biodiversity observations worldwide within a community of naturalists, shows that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been noted on campus. An additional search on eBird reveals that 111 bird species have been recorded on campus so far.
Moreover, Silwood Park is the site of various long-term field research initiatives, 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 primarily accommodates postgraduate students keen on ecology, conservation, and evolution projects. Many of us participate in multiple clubs based at Silwood Park. Significant examples include:
- Chicken Club – looking after chickens raised behind our residence halls
- Book Club – regularly discussing intriguing books
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation events for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, many of us also engage in activities of clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we have clubs that participate in sports like badminton, basketball, and pickleball (my personal favorite!), using either the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports venues in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host many community-driven events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and supports such activities, ensuring a lively and enjoyable student experience! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our international community exchanged languages and cultures over several weeks, along with our annual Chinese New Year celebration, during which everyone made dumplings and couplets to greet the new lunar year. We’ve also enjoyed community-organized parties celebrating global events (like Carnival) or simply for the joy of partying.
My favorite campus event is the weekly pub quiz, organized by our student community. It’s part of Silwood culture that the quiz losers arrange the next one, and I can proudly declare that I have set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Even though I’ve lost many pub quizzes due to my limited general trivia knowledge, it’s always a delightful time with great company and a good pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the bustling civilization (e.g., the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never seemed dull or lacking. Alongside countless events and activities, we benefit from a warm and inviting community of students hailing from all corners of the globe. We all cherish nature, our beautiful campus grounds, and, more importantly, each other’s company. We form a close-knit community that finds joy in stargazing in the winter chill on the open field next to our bar, observing birds and mammals outside our room windows, and spending time with fellow nature enthusiasts.
Most evenings, I prepare meals with my dear friend from India, who shares my passion for Asian cuisine.