St Martin's Ampleforth is the Preparatory School

Preparatory school (UK)

In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...

 for Ampleforth College

Ampleforth College

Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...

. It is situated in the village of Gilling East, at Gilling Castle

Gilling Castle

Gilling Castle is a castle near Gilling East, North Yorkshire, England . The castle was originally the home of the Etton family, who appeared there at the end of the 12th century...

, North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It lies on the southern side of a valley, opposite Ampleforth on the northern side.

The School has experienced many changes since 1992, when it changed its name from "Gilling Castle Preparatory School", to "Ampleforth College Junior School" following its merger with Junior House of Ampleforth College. It changed to its present title '"St Martin's Ampleforth" following its merger with the nearby St Martin's Preparatory School in Nawton.

Basil Cardinal Hume was once Headmaster at the then Gilling Castle.