Figure 1
Mean seasonal indoor church temperature trends based on organ tuning book records in the UK.
Note: Data were obtained using daytime spot measurements (1966–2024), based on aggregated data from 18 churches.
Figure 2
Indoor church temperatures by decade.
Note: Data are based on a preliminary sample of 18 churches, with error bars (the standard deviation is based on the data shown in Table 2).
Table 1
Indoor church temperatures by decade derived from the study’s sample of 18 churches.
| 1966–69 | 1970–79 | 1980–89 | 1990–99 | 2000–09 | 2010–19 | 2020–24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean temperature (°C) | 15.5 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 17.4 | 18.4 | 18.3 | 18.9 |
Table 2
Indoor church temperatures by decade, based on a preliminary sample of 18 churches.
| PERIOD | SEASON | LOCATION | SAMPLE MEAN (°C) | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966–69 | Winter | Urban | 12.78 | 1.41 |
| Rural | – | – | ||
| Summer | Urban | 17.22 | 5.29 | |
| Rural | – | – | ||
| 1970–79 | Winter | Urban | 12.57 | 3.73 |
| Rural | – | – | ||
| Summer | Urban | 17.78 | 2.62 | |
| Rural | – | – | ||
| 1980–89 | Winter | Urban | 16.58 | 2.97 |
| Rural | – | – | ||
| Summer | Urban | 15.89 | 5.00 | |
| Rural | – | – | ||
| 1990–99 | Winter | Urban | 16.89 | 3.67 |
| Rural | 18.89 | 2.65 | ||
| Summer | Urban | 18.29 | 5.61 | |
| Rural | 16.88 | 7.56 | ||
| 2000–09 | Winter | Urban | 17.42 | 5.09 |
| Rural | 18.27 | 4.36 | ||
| Summer | Urban | 19.67 | 5.71 | |
| Rural | 19.23 | 4.61 | ||
| 2010–19 | Winter | Urban | 18.02 | 6.58 |
| Rural | 15.23 | 5.47 | ||
| Summer | Urban | 19.61 | 5.24 | |
| Rural | 15.22 | 7.14 | ||
| 2020–24 | Winter | Urban | 18.60 | 5.07 |
| Rural | 17.06 | 0.41 | ||
| Summer | Urban | 19.75 | 6.70 | |
| Rural | 13.06 | 4.95 |
[i] Note: SD = standard deviation.
Figure 3
Indoor temperature and humidity variation at St Mary Aldermary, 1966–2019.
Figure 4
Indoor temperature and humidity variation at All Saints’ Church, Sawley, 1993–2017.
Table 3
Mean indoor temperature and humidity (winter and summer) comparison of a small sample of urban and rural churches.
| CHURCH | T (x̄) (°C) | SD (σ) | RH (x̄) (%) | SD (σ) | PERIOD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural | |||||
| All Saints’ Church, Sawley, Nottinghamshire | 15.9 | 6.4 | 65.1% | 6.7 | 1993–2017 |
| Our Lady and St Edward’s Church, Nottingham | 14.8 | 3.4 | 64.2% | 7.5 | 2005–21 |
| St Leonard’s Church, Birmingham | 17.3 | 6.3 | 62.2% | 8.2 | 1999–2022 |
| Urban | |||||
| St Mary Abchurch, Abchurch Lane, London | 17.7 | 7.9 | 55.5% | 5.9 | 1993–2008 |
| St Bride’s, Fleet Street, London | 20.9 | 4.3 | 45.1% | 10.2 | 2002–24 |
| St Vedast Foster Lane, London | 18.9 | 5.0 | 49.9% | 6.9 | 2006–24 |
[i] Note: RH = relative humidity; SD = standard deviation; T, temperature.
Figure 5
Two examples of organ tuning books.
Figure 6
Mean temperature and standard deviation of 12 City of London churches.
Note: Data are based on organ tuning records.
Figure 7
Pipe organ fault report frequency comparison between eight churches.
Note: Data were derived from organ tuning records.
Table 4
Pipe organ disuse, based on 22 organ tuning book records.
| LOCALITY | CHURCH | PIPE ORGAN STATUS | LAST TUNED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire | Long Eaton Baptist Church | Out of order | 9 December 2019 |
| Nottinghamshire | All Saints’ Church, Nottingham | Operational | 15 December 2023 |
| Holy Trinity Church, Ratcliffe on Soar | Out of order | 1 June 2015 | |
| St Barnabas’ Cathedral Church, Nottingham | Operational | 8 March 2024 | |
| All Saints’ Church, Sawley | Out of order | 28 June 2017 | |
| Our Lady and St Edward’s Church, Nottingham | Out of order | 5 October 2021 | |
| Church of the Sacred Heart, Carlton | Operational | 13 October 2023 | |
| Catholic Church of St Augustine, Nottingham | Operational | 27 September 2023 | |
| St Mary’s Church, Nottingham | Out of order | 19 July 2016 | |
| West Midlands | St Leonard’s Church, Birmingham | Operational (needing repair) | 11 April 2022 |
| City of Londona | St Bride’s, Fleet Street | Operational | 18 March 2024 |
| St Clement’s, Eastcheap | Out of order | 7 July 2009 | |
| St James Garlickhythe | Out of order | 20 September 2022 | |
| St Lawrence Jewry | Out of order | 8 March 2023 | |
| St Magnus the Martyr | Operational | 20 December 2022 | |
| St Margaret Pattens | Out of order | 2 May 2024 | |
| St Margaret Lothbury | Operational | 11 July 2023 | |
| St Martin within Ludgate | Out of order | 17 November 2017 | |
| St Mary Abchurch | Out of order (displaced) | 5 December 2008 | |
| St Mary Aldermary | Operational (but disused) | 1 November 2019 | |
| St Mary Woolnoth | Operational | 7 October 2023 | |
| St Vedast Foster Lane | Operational | 22 April 2024 |
[i] Note: aAll the City of London churches listed were designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren and his office in the period after the Great Fire of London (1666), except for St Mary Woolnoth, which was designed and built between 1716 and 1727 in a different building campaign by Nicholas Hawksmoor for the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches of 1711.
Figure 8
The pipe organ at St Mary Aldermary, first built in 1781 by England & Russell, London.
Source: National Pipe Organ Register (NPOR), https://npor.org.uk/