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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

Family fun

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Sundays | 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm
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Meet Santa and travel through a magical wonderland with the Snow Queen at the Queen's House this Christmas
Saturday 14 November - Thursday 24 December 2026
Early bird: £27 per person | General tickets: £30 | Members: £25 | Under 1s: Free
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Experiences | Christmas

Santa's Grotto at the Queen's House relaxed sessions

All relaxed sessions for seeing Santa at the Queen's House are now sold out
Sunday 15 November to Friday 18 December 2026
Child and an accompanying adult: £30 | Additional adult or child: £30 | Family Member child and accompanying adult: £27 | Additional adult or child Family Member: £27 | (+£3 booking fee per transaction)
Queen's House
Events and festivals | Museum Lates

Evening Concerts at the Queen's House: Trinity Laban ensemble Aúrion

Enjoy a night of music in the former royal residence, performed by vocal and instrumental ensemble Aúrion, presenting an evening where poetry and music illuminate one another
Thursday 26 November 2026 | 7.30pm-8.30pm
Adult: £16, Student: £10, Child: £8 | Adult Members and Patrons: £14.40, Child Members: £7.20
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Afternoon Frequencies

Free live electronic music in the Great Hall at the Queen's House
Friday 27 November 2026 | 1pm
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Events and festivals | Experiences

Crossings: Hidden Passages

Join us for an afternoon of dance in the Queen's House, connecting architecture, maritime history and migration
Saturday 28 November 2026 | 1pm and 3pm | Performances last 45 minutes
Free
Queen's House
Events and festivals | Museum Lates

Christmas concert at the Queen's House: Hithertones

Join us for an evening of carols and songs, performed by local vocal ensemble, Hithertones
Saturday 12 December 2026 | Performances at 6pm and 7.30pm
Adult: £18, Child: £8 | Adult Members: £15, Child Members: £5
Queen's House

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