Free Event

Essential Information

Type
Location
Date and Times Wednesday 20 and 27 April | 2pm-2.45pm
Prices Free

‘The Art That Made Us’ Festival starts in April, with events taking place across the UK throughout the month. The festival complements the broadcast of a major new BBC television series exploring our creative history. Museums, libraries, archives and galleries are opening their doors to tell the stories behind their astounding collections.

At Royal Museums Greenwich, we will host two events in the Queen’s House exploring ‘Global Issues, Local Impacts.’ Join curators, creatives and researchers to explore key events and phenomena that have shaped artworks from the 1600s to today. How have artists responded to social and environmental challenges? What can art tell us about our past, our present and our future?

Event programme

Art That Made Us: Rising Seas

Wednesday 20 April, 2pm –2.45pm

Speakers: Sarah Hardy, Director, The De Morgan Foundation and Dr Katherine Gazzard, Curator of Art (Post-1800), RMG.

Join us to explore how Evelyn de Morgan’s The Sea Maidens (1885–86) can be reinterpreted as an allegory for the effects of climate change. This journey will take us from Hans Christian Andersen’s story of the Little Mermaid to the destruction of coral reefs. Part of the BBC Art That Made Us Festival. 

Art That Made Us: Climate Migrations

Wednesday 27 April, 2pm – 2.45pm

Speakers: Joseph Ijoyemi, Artist and Co-Founder, The Collective Makers and Dr Hannah Lyons Assistant Curator of Art, RMG.

This ‘In Conversation’ event in the Queen's House will explore social dislocation, climate change and the legacies of colonialism through Kehinde Wiley’s painting Ship of Fools (2017). Join curators and special guests to learn how Wiley's work serves as a metaphor for historical and contemporary migration. Part of the BBC Art That Made Us Festival.

What’s On

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
Experiences

Talk & Drink: drinks on the balcony and a gallery favourite talk

Venture to the Queen's House and join a gallery favourite talk with drinks on the balcony
Selected Sundays | Sales now open for Sunday 19 October 2025 | Talk at 3.30pm
Adult: £16 (plus £3 booking fee per booking); Adult Members: £13
Queen's House
Talks and tours

Salons in the Queen's House

See the Queen’s House and its collections in a new light with this series of free lunchtime talks exploring art, architecture, history and our contemporary culture
Every Wednesday from 15-29 October 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm
Free
Queen's House
Family fun

October half term family activities at the Queen's House

Find fun for all the family at the Queen's House this October half term
19 October – 30 October 2025 | See page for times
Free | Drop in | All ages and abilities
Queen's House
Talks and tours | Member events

Members' Lecture: The Battle of Trafalgar at the Queen’s House

Celebrate Trafalgar Day with us and hear from art curator Katherine Gazzard on the history and symbolism of this awe-inspiring naval scene
Tuesday 21 October 2025 | 6.45pm
Free Entry
Queen's House
Talks and tours | Salons in the Queen's House

Salons in the Queen's House: Visualising the Invisible in Jacqueline Bishop’s Collage Histories

In this free lunchtime talk art historian Dr. Freya Gowrley will explore the artistic potential of collage for telling colonial histories
Wednesday 22 October 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm
Free
Queen's House
Talks and tours | Salons in the Queen's House

Salons in the Queen's House: The Seeds of Survival

In this free lunchtime talk historian Akosua Paries-Osei will explore the empire-disrupting botanical knowledge of enslaved women
Wednesday 29 October 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm
Free
Queen's House
Events and festivals | Black History Month

Book launch: A Whole Heap of Mix Up by Stella Dadzie

Celebrate the release of the award-winning historian's new book
Thursday 30 October 2025 | 6pm-8.30pm
Pay what you can (£0-£10)
Queen's House
Talks and tours

Dark history and haunted tours of the Queen's House

Join us (if you dare) for an after-hours tour of the Queen's House. Who knows what you might encounter...
Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November 2025 | 5.30pm-7pm and 7.30pm-9pm
Adult: £20 | Members: £18
Queen's House
Workshops

Historical pocket making workshop

Create a timeless tie-on pocket as part of this project providing community workshops accessible for people with memory loss, Alzheimer’s and dementia
Tuesday 4 November and 2 December | 11am-1pm
Free, drop-in
National Maritime Museum
Events and festivals | Art and culture

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
Events and festivals | Museum Lates

Harp Concert at the Queen’s House with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

Join us for a night of chamber music performed by Isabel Eberhardt from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Thursday 6 November 2025 | 7.30pm
Adult: £16, Adult Members: £14.40, Patrons: £14.40, Child: £8, Child Members: £7.20
Queen's House
Experiences | Christmas

The Queen's House Ice Rink

Discover the most beautiful outdoor ice skating location in London
21 November 2025 - 4 January 2026 | 10am-9pm
Free Entry
Queen's House
Experiences | Christmas

Santa’s Grotto at the Queen’s House

Meet Santa and journey to a magical wonderland. Pre-booking recommended
Selected dates from 22 November – 24 December 2025
General tickets: £27 per person, Member tickets: £24.30 per person, Under 1s: Free
Queen's House
Experiences | Member events

Members' Experience: A Beginner’s Guide to Observing

Come along and begin your journey to observing the night sky on the historic Queen's House lawns
Wednesday 26 November 2025, Wednesday 21 January & Wednesday 25 March 2026 | 6.30pm-9pm
Free | Members only
Queen's House
Experiences | Christmas

Santa’s Grotto at the Queen’s House Relaxed Sessions

Meet Santa and journey to a magical wonderland in these quieter sessions, ideal for neurodivergent and SEND visitors and those with sensory sensitivities. Pre-booking recommended
Saturday 29 November at 4pm and Thursday 11 December at 5.15pm
Child and an accompanying adult: £25, Additional adult: £27, Additional child: £27 | Member child and accompanying adult: £22.50, Additional adult Member: £25, Additional child Member: £25
Queen's House
Talks and tours | BSL tours

BSL Tour: Portraits in the Queen's House

Join guide John Wilson for a British Sign Language (BSL) tour of the portraits in the Queen's House
Friday 12 December 2025 | 2pm-3pm
Free
Queen's House