ABSTRACT
Although established in 1880, the diocese of Liverpool had to wait until 1924 for the consecration of its (substantially incomplete) cathedral, and a further seven years for the appointment of its first Dean. By the time that Frederick William Dwelly was appointed to that office he had already played a large part in giving the new cathedral a distinctive liturgical character synonymous with liturgical flair and drama as well as with services remembered for their sense of holiness and sincerity. Dwelly rose to prominence through his devising of the sequence of services for the consecration of the cathedral and, though by no means an academic liturgist, Dwelly’s liturgical practices in the 1930s were a pattern that was held up for other cathedrals to follow. It is possible to get a significant insight into liturgical practice at Liverpool during this period as the records have been well kept and service sheets have been remarkably well preserved for most of this period, though there are significant lacunae in the first 20 years of the century. Dwelly was also involved in Prayer Book revision, and he was well-connected with the leading church musicians of his day including Vaughan Williams and Martin Shaw. This chapter examines Dwelly’s role in shaping the liturgical and musical establishment at Liverpool, and looks in detail at some of the services he created. Dwelly’s role is examined in some detail here as an example of one of the conclusions of this research, that liturgical and musical change tended only to be successfully implemented at cathedrals where clergy and musicians were working collaboratively with one another.
