Christian Science Reading Room

The Christian Science Reading Room, formerly known as No. 6 High Petergate, is a house that has been converted into a reading room. It dates from the late 17th century but has origins that go back to the early 14th century. The rear of the building was altered and partly rebuilt in the early 19th century, and it features a shopfront from the 20th century. The front is made of painted brick in English garden-wall and stretcher bonds, while the rear is constructed from red-brown brick, with some parts rendered. The building has a steeply pitched pantile roof with a plain tile verge and brick stacks.

The exterior consists of two storeys and an attic, with a three-window front. The shopfront is framed with plain pilasters beneath a plain fascia and minimal cornice. The door on the right side is glazed and panelled, featuring a bordered overlight and is recessed between small-pane windows. The remainder of the shop window has small-pane glazing with some top-hung lights. The first-floor windows are 12-pane sashes, and the attic features a raking dormer with a two-light casement window. On the rear, the outer wall has a length of a three-course raised brick first-floor band at the left end, and behind it, the rebuilt wall has a 12-pane Yorkshire sash window on the first floor.

Inside, the first-floor middle room has a small fireplace with a basket grate. In the attic, there is a virtually complete scissor-brace roof truss, which is a notable feature for a minor building in York, located between the left end and centre bays.