St Martin's Ampleforth

Gilling Castle dates back to the Medieval era and was originally home to the Etton family. It was Thomas de Etton who built, in the second half of the 14th century, the fortified manor house, a large tower almost square, whose basement still forms the core of the present building. It was later owned by Thomas Fairfax and changed hands a number of times before the Benedictine monks at Ampleforth Abbey bought the property in 1929. The buildings were refurbished over the years to accommodate growing pupil numbers. A playground for the nursery and pre-prep department was added in 2004. In January 2018 a proposal was made to close the site, with the remaining pupils moved to a new junior house…