Previous experiments had shown that two of the most important factors controlling the dielectric recovery of a high-current high-pressure spark gap are the rate of fall of gas temperature and the electrode material. A possible reason for the electrode effect is that the electrode surface temperature controls the rate at which heat energy is lost from the gas and hence the rate of fall of gas temperature.This paper describes the experimental technique evolved to measure the electrode surface temperature with results for various electrodes. Comparisons made with recovery characteristics and gas temperature under the same conditions show that the results obtained cannot be explained by electrode surface temperature alone, and other possible explanations are given.