NOTATIO

Out of my depth somewhat with mid-20th century English song. Is there an essential difference between representing Pedal marks in these two ways?

The ms has Ped__________| for every bar.

Using retakes is tidier.

I don't think there is any essential difference in the meaning of the two notations you show. The first one is of course more exact than the traditional and asterisk, and the second one even more so, and, as you say, tidier and less cluttering.

Combining the old and Baroque-looking and the more technical and modern retake lines can create something of a stylistic clash however, which may be the reason why most contemporary composers today use a more neutral font for the Ped., like this: For mid-twentieth-century music I think the two options and asterisk, and your second example - or mine - would be possible. (Bartók fx used both traditional pedal marks and modern pedal lines - then without the word Ped.)

A simpler and to me better way to show overlapping pedal with Ped. indications is to leave out the brackets completely and place a Ped. where you want each quick change (without using an asterisk or anything else to show a release). Every pianist will know what this means.

Anders and I agree about the stylistic clash, but come to different conclusions. I prefer the all-bracket system where the intricacy of the pedaling makes it preferable to the Ped. * system. On the face of it, this example isn't such a case.