Born in the year 1968, from the temporary union of John Stannard & Roger Stevens came the textured harmony and guitar of Tudor Lodge. Also to come on board was Lyndon Green who replaced Roger Stevens shortly after they met at the ‘Windsor Folk Festival.’ Thanks to the warm reception at the ‘Cambridge Folk Festival’ ‘Tudor Lodge came to be with it’s acoustic enchantment, name taken from a local pub. Tudor was also later joined in 1970 by ex Utopians vocalist / guitarist, pianist, flautist Ann Steuart from the Guardians of the Rainbow. Anne completed the wholesome quartet that would bewitch English hippies with their electric muse versions of Buffalo Springfield’s “Expecting to Fly”, CSNY’s “Helplessly Hoping” and Joni Mitchell’s “The Gallery”.

The group would also feature their own originals while live performances closed with humorous renditions of Buddy Holly or Elvis. Tudor’s more authentic display included the tranquil “It All Comes Back to Me”, “Golden Thread” / “Sparkle in Your Eye”, while their most shimmering display was the acoustic “Morocco”, a song written while on holiday near Tangier. The second set would reflect a more ornate expression harbouring intricate versions of Ralph McTell’s “Kew Gardens” or John Vaughn’s “Sundown Waker”. Lyndon would also cover Incredible String’s instrumental “Hedgehog Song” and John Sebastian’s “She’s A Lady”. The group’s entire placid product was largely the influence of guitarists Jansch & Renbourn which made it difficult to feature alongside their harder edged ‘Vertigo’ peers like Patto and Jade Warrior. Their debut featured Pentangle stalwarts Danny Thompson & Terry Cox, ex John Dankworth Orchestra saxophonist Tony Coe, while sessions spawned a range of Peter, Paul & Mary styled tracks like the single “The Lady’s Changing Home” and “The Good Times We Had”.

The group had a freshness which burned like sandalwood incense and its fragrance lingered long after. The group’s 1972 debut reeled with a variety of influences like the S&G styled “Would You Believe It” and Joni Mitchell influenced “Two Steps Back”. The Lodge actualization comes together on Stannard’s “Help Me Find Myself” with enough to water to wash you down, Jordan River style. Their exhaustive touring paid its toll on Anne in 1971 who was replaced by Linda Peters(illuminated Carole King’s “Its Going to Take Some Time”) The debut also included Graham Lyons Bassoon, Fred Buxton cello, Sergei Bezkorvany violin & Strawbs guitarist Joe Partridge who later featured on Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds. Douglas Moore played horns on the heavenly “Willow Tree”, Anne flute on Stannard’s pacifist “I See a Man” and Tir Na Nog’s Sonny Condell bongos on “Recollection”. Mike Morgan saturated “The Lady’s Changing Room” with mouth watering wah wah.