Authored by Clarence (Singapore), MSc Living Planet with Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
When most students at Imperial picture Silwood Park, they see a vibrant, enchanting, and greenery-filled campus alive with species of animals and plants that aren’t typically found at our other locations such as South Kensington or White City. In many respects, they’re correct – every portrayal of Silwood Park holds true!
As a representative of this lesser-known enclave within Imperial, I wish to emphasize the student atmosphere, activities, and community present at our natural parkland campus located in Ascot, Berkshire.
A glimpse into Silwood Park
Silwood Park serves as Imperial’s outdoor research facility, covering 77 hectares and featuring ecosystems such as freshwater streams, lakes, an “ancient” woodland, and open pastures. A brief inquiry on iNaturalist, an application designed for tracking and sharing biodiversity data worldwide with a network of naturalists online, indicates that 1,436 species of plants, animals, and fungi have been recorded on the grounds. Furthermore, eBird has documented 111 bird species on campus to date.
Of particular interest, Silwood Park hosts numerous long-term field research initiatives, including the well-known Nash’s Field Experiment and the Blue Tit Project that have been executed on-site.
Student experience at Silwood Park
The campus primarily accommodates postgraduate scholars focused on projects related to ecology, conservation, and evolution. Many of us belong to various clubs operating at Silwood Park. Noteworthy examples include:
- Chicken Club – responsible for caring for the chickens raised behind our student residences
- Book Club – who convene regularly to engage in discussions about books featured on their reading list
- Gardening Club – managing the plots in our community garden
- Conservation Club – organizing nature walks and conservation-driven initiatives for students on Silwood Park Campus.
As part of the broader Imperial student body, many of us also partake in activities offered by clubs based in South Kensington!
Additionally, we have informal 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 facilities in nearby towns such as Bracknell or Ascot.
Apart from club events and classes, there are numerous community-driven gatherings taking place on campus. Silwood Park boasts its own student council that organizes and oversees these activities to promote a lively and enjoyable student environment! In recent times, we held the Silwood language exchange, drawing our largely international community together to exchange languages and cultures over several weeks, along with our annual Chinese New Year celebration at the year’s beginning, where everyone united to make dumplings and couplets to welcome the new lunar year. We’ve also experienced community-hosted parties celebrating global events (like Carnival), as well as parties thrown simply for enjoyment.
However, my favorite campus event has to be the weekly pub quiz, arranged by our student community. It’s a part of Silwood culture that the quiz losers are tasked with organizing the next one, and I can proudly claim to 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, there’s always great fun to be had with good friends and a well-poured pint of beer.
Silwood Park: my second home
Although it’s a 30-minute stroll from the lively buzz of civilization (like the train station and the nearest village), life at Silwood Park has never felt dull or insufficient. In addition to the many events and activities, we enjoy a friendly and inviting community that includes students from around the globe. We all share a passion for nature, appreciate our stunning campus grounds, and, more significantly, enjoy