House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has compared himself to Sir John Wenlock.

He is quoted in a profile in last weekend’s Times magazine as claiming that Wenlock, Speaker 1445-6, is “believed to be shorter than I am…”.

Sir John, later Lord Wenlock, can be found depicted in a window at Luton parish church. His home was probably Bedford’s oldest brick house alongside the airport.

See pages 26 and 37.

A surprise at the Paul Sandby exhibition are three large pictures of Luton Park showing ancient trees, cows and deer.

This parkland is today known as Luton Hoo and Sandby’s snapshots were painted about 1765 when the house was the home of former prime minister Lord Bute.

The exhibition is at the Royal Academy where the latest RA magazine features a Sandby Luton painting.

The show has come to London from Nottingham where it was assembled last year to mark the bicentenary of Paul Sandby’s death. He is best known for precise paintings of Windsor and London’s Bayswater Road which have been lent by the Queen.

The Queen and Prince Philip of course spent their honeymoon at delightful Luton Park which is now the Luton Hoo hotel.

Paul Sandby is at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly; open daily from Saturday 13 March until Sunday 13 June; admission £9 (conc £8).

See page 31-32.

Forman’s, the smoked salmon firm on the River Lea, has opened a gallery.

It is called the Smokehouse Gallery and tonight saw the launch of the first exhibition. East Meets West is described as “a diverse collection of street and graffiti artists from Eastern Europe and East London”.

H. Forman & Son is a family owned salmon smoker established in 1905. It is now in the hands of fourth generation Lance Forman whose smokehouse was in Marshgate Lane where the new Olympic Stadium is being built.

Fortunately he found this nearby site across the water on Fish Island with a fantastic view of the stadium.

The pink Forman’s building, designed by Phil Hudson is itself now a landmark on the Lea Valley Walk between Hackney Wick and Old Ford Lock. The architect claims that it is in the shape of a fillet of salmon.

This is, like Tate Modern, a gallery where the building is as much an attaction as the art. Tonight’s launch was a delightful evening with smoked salmon nibbles and an opportunity to see the restaurant downstairs which has an even bigger window for viewing the towpath and Olympic Stadium.

The view is obviously better in daylight. The exhibition is open 12 noon to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays and 5pm-9pm on Fridays until the Sunday 21 March; admission free. The entrance is in Stour Road E3.

See page 114.