5 Things to See

What it is: The Blue Rigi, Sunrise (c. 1842), a watercolor by J.M.W. Turner showing Mount Rigi in Switzerland seen across Lake Lucerne at dawn.

Where it is: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. Open daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m., free entry for the permanent collection.

Why it matters: Turner made three Rigi watercolors — blue, dark, and red — and this is the one in which the mountain almost dissolves into weather. It was sold at auction in 2006 for a then-record price for a British watercolor and acquired by Tate with Art Fund support. The blue is not a single pigment but layers of cobalt, ultramarine, and washed-out graphite that shift as you move.

What it is: Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, a murder-mystery play that opened in the West End in 1952.

Where it is: St Martin's Theatre, West Street, London WC2H 9NZ. Performances Tue–Sat evenings, with matinees on Thursday and Saturday.

Why it matters: It is the world's longest-running theatrical production. The original cast included Richard Attenborough and Sheila Sim. Audiences are still asked at curtain call not to reveal the identity of the murderer — a tradition Christie requested to preserve the ending for future productions.

What it is: The lobby of The Ned, a hotel and members' club occupying the former Midland Bank headquarters at 27 Poultry, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and completed in 1924.

Where it is: 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ. The lobby is open to hotel guests, club members, and those with a restaurant or bar reservation.

Why it matters: The main banking hall spans 3,000 square metres and is lined with 92 monolithic Corinthian columns, each made from a single piece of marble. The original bronze doors, walnut counters, and banking screens remain. It is one of the few places in London where you can drink a martini inside a Grade I-listed interwar monument.

What it is: Amorphophallus titanum, commonly called the titan arum or corpse flower, a flowering plant native to the rainforests of Sumatra.

Where it is: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, London TW9 3AE. The Princess of Wales Conservatory holds the collection; bloom announcements are posted on Kew's website and social channels.

Why it matters: The flower can grow to more than three metres tall and emits a smell of rotting flesh to attract carrion beetles and flesh flies for pollination. Kew first bloomed one in 1889 and has since raised several generations from seed. Between blooms, the plant exists as a single enormous leaf.

What it is: In the Mood for Love, a 2000 romantic drama directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung.

Where it is: Available on the Criterion Channel and for rental on most major platforms; 4K restoration prints still screen at repertory cinemas.

Why it matters: Shot in Hong Kong in the early 1960s, the film follows two neighbours who suspect their spouses are having an affair and slowly, deliberately refuse to become one themselves. Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin's cinematography turned narrow corridors, noodle stalls, and Cheung's cheongsams into one of the most visually cited films of the century. It premiered at Cannes, where Tony Leung won Best Actor.