Ticketed

Essential Information

Type
Location
Date and Times Monday 26 September 2022 | 7pm-8.30pm
Prices Adult: £15, £10 or £5 (includes admission with donation)

Created by artist Alberta Whittle, The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers features the stories of the Windrush generation and their descendants.  

Weaving together the experiences of her own family, stories sourced from Hackney Archives and conversation with the borough’s Windrush residents, Whittle's film highlights the animosity experienced by those who first migrated from the Caribbean to the UK. 

It also explores the lasting effects of hostile immigration policy, anti-blackness and racism felt by their descendants today. 

Join us at the Queen’s House for a special screening of the film, which includes a talk between Alberta Whittle and Dr Neal Shasore, Head of School and Chief Executive Officer at The London Architecture School. The event will include an audience Q&A. 

About the artist 

Alberta Whittle is an artist, researcher and curator who uses self-compassion and collective care to interrogate anti-blackness, colonialism and migration.  

Whittle is currently representing Scotland at the 2022 Venice Art Biennale with the acclaimed exhibition deep dive (pause) uncoiling memory. She is the recipient of a Turner Bursary, the Frieze Artist Award and a Henry Moore Foundation Artist Award.  

The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers is one of the works commissioned as part of the Hackney Windrush Public Programme, curated by Create London in partnership with Hackney Council and funded by the Freelands Foundation.  

About Create London

Create London, who commissioned Alberta Whittle's film 'The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers' commissions bold, radical and socially-engaged art and architecture that is woven into the fabric of everyday life. Sign up to their mailing list here .

What’s On

Mistress Babbington character actor at the Queen's House
Family fun

Character Actors at the Queen's House

Meet historical characters connected to the Queen's House and take part in exciting performances
Sundays | 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm
Free
Queen's House
Children fill out an activity sheet during a visit to the Queen's House in Greenwich. They are sat on the floor, at the centre of an intricate black and white marble pattern
Family fun

Easter activities at the Queen's House

Storytelling and craft workshops are just some of the springtime events taking place at the Queen's House
6 – 20 April 2025 | 11am-4pm
Free | Drop-in
Queen's House
Trinity Laban Concert in the Queen's House Great Hall
Events and festivals

Lunchtime Concerts at the Queen's House

Enjoy musical performances in the Queen's House given by students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance 
Select Wednesdays (see page for details) | 1pm-2pm
Free, drop in
Queen's House
Talks and tours | Member events

Members' Lecture: Snow Widows

Hear about the untold story of Scott's fatal Antarctic expedition through the eyes of the women they left behind
Thursday 24 April 2025 l 6.30pm-7.30pm
Free | Members only
Queen's House
Image of two lutes against a black and white marble floor
Events and festivals

Early music at the Queen's House with Collegium Musicum 90

Enjoy an evening of music at the Queen's House with the renowned period instrument ensemble
Friday 25 April 2025 | 7.30pm
Adults: £30, Child: £15 | Adult Members: £27, Child Members: £13.50
Queen's House
The Sailor [Maurice Alan Easton] - Cropped
Talks and tours

The Queen's House Curator Tour: The Art of Naval Portraiture

Join Dr Katherine Gazzard, Curator of Art at Royal Museums Greenwich, for a unique tour of the Queen’s House, exploring the complex and often surprising history of naval portraiture
8 and 22 May, 5 and 20 June 2025 | Tours start at 3.30pm
Adult: £5 | Adult (includes a signed copy of the book): £20
Queen's House
Portraits of Queen Consort Henrietta Maria and King Charles I
Events and festivals

Charles I & Henrietta Maria: 400th wedding anniversary

King Charles I and Queen Consort Henrietta Maria invite you to celebrate their landmark wedding anniversary with a programme of activities at the Queen's House
From 11 to 23 May 2025 (see page for details)
Varying prices (see page for details)
Queen's House
A woman looks at the painting of Elizabeth I known as the 'Armada Portrait', hanging in the Queen's House
Workshops

Artist Masterclass: Portraits Drawing Workshop

Develop your portrait skills in this special guided workshop, led by artists Federico Baeza-Autillo and Sarah E Shaw
Select Fridays and Sundays between May and September 2025 | 10.15am-12pm
Adult: £20 (plus £3 booking fee per booking), Adult Member: £15.00
Queen's House
Queen's House Loggia
Experiences

Queen's House Classic Treasures Tour with drinks on the balcony

Head to Greenwich for a new refreshing and effervescent tour experience
Select Sundays between May and September 2025 | Tour at 3.30pm
Adult: £20 (plus £3 booking fee per booking); Adult Members: £15
Queen's House
Black and white illustration from an edition of Treasure Island. The scene shows Long John Silver and the pirates as they discover what they believe to be buried treasure
Talks and tours | Member events

Members' Lecture: A Pirate of Exquisite Mind

Hear historian Diana Preston discuss the remarkable life of William Dampier, the subject of her bestselling biography, A Pirate of Exquisite Mind.
Thursday 15 May 2025 l 6.30pm
Free | Members only
Queen's House

Banner image: The Axe Forgets, But The Tree Remembers, featuring Zinzi Minott; image courtesy Alberta Whittle, 2022.