Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When the majority of Imperial students picture Silwood Park, they imagine a vibrant, intriguing, and verdant campus bustling with wildlife and vegetation seldom encountered on other campuses such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they are correct – every portrayal of Silwood Park holds true!
As a voice from this lesser-known segment of Imperial, I wish to spotlight the student experience, activities, and community that thrive at our natural parkland campus in Ascot, Berkshire.
An overview of Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor laboratory, encompassing 77 hectares and showcasing habitats such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” forest, and expansive grasslands. A straightforward search on iNaturalist, an application where users can document and share insights on biodiversity globally with a network of nature enthusiasts, reveals that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on campus. Additionally, a search on eBird indicates that 111 bird species have been identified on campus thus far.
Moreover, Silwood Park is the location for numerous long-term field research endeavors, with the Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project standing out as two of the more recognized studies carried out on-site.
Life as a Student at Silwood Park
The campus primarily hosts postgraduate students engaged in projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us belong to a variety of clubs situated at Silwood Park. Notable examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens raised behind our halls of residence
- Book Club – who convene regularly to discuss books of interest from their reading list
- Gardening Club – overseeing the allotments in our community garden
- Conservation Club – who arrange nature walks and conservation-centered activities for students at Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student community, many of us are also members and actively engage in clubs based in South Kensington!
Casually, we also have clubs that participate in sports such as badminton, basketball, and pickleball (which happens to be my personal favorite!), utilizing either the multi-use games arena (MUGA) on campus or indoor sports facilities in nearby towns like Bracknell or Ascot.
In addition to club activities and classes, we host numerous community-led events on campus. Silwood Park has its own student council that organizes and facilitates such events to promote a lively and engaging student life! Recently, we held the Silwood language exchange, where our largely international community came together to share languages and cultures over several weeks. We also celebrated our annual Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, where everyone collaborated to make dumplings and couplets to welcome a new lunar year. Community-organized gatherings have also occurred, celebrating festivities from around the globe (such as Carnival), or simply to relish in the joy of having a party.
However, my absolute favorite campus event has to be the weekly pub quiz, orchestrated by our student community. It is part of Silwood culture that the teams losing the pub quiz are tasked with organizing the next one, and I can proudly assert that I have set the highest number of pub quizzes this year. Despite frequent losses in pub quizzes due to my limited general trivia knowledge, there’s always an abundance of enjoyment to be found in great company and a cold pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my sanctuary away from home
Even though it’s a 30-minute walk from the lively atmosphere of civilization (for instance, the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or wanting. Besides the multitude of events and activities, we share a warm and inviting community made up of students from around the globe. We all share a deep affection for nature and our stunning campus grounds,