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
Soprano Lizzie Holmes, DEBUT
Events and festivals

DEBUT at the Queen's House

A night of enchanting classical music as part of DEBUT's acclaimed 'Secret Concerts' series
Thursday 19 June and Thursday 4 September 2025 | Performances at 6.45pm and 8.15pm
Adult: £30, Child: £25 (plus £3 booking fee) | Adult Member: £27, Child Member: £22
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
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
22 May, 5 and 20 June 2025 | Tours start at 3.30pm
Adult: £5; Adult (includes a signed copy of the book): £20 | Adult Member: Free; Adult Member (includes a signed copy of the book): £18
Queen's House
A woman points out something of interest in a painting to a family group
Family fun

May half term at the Queen's House

Find free workshops, character encounters and creative activities for all ages inside Greenwich's historic villa
25 May - 1 June 2025 | See page for timings
Free
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
A woman gazes at portraits of historic figures. Three paintings are displayed in a gallery in front of her
Workshops | Member events

Members' Artist Masterclass: Portraits Drawing Workshop

Develop your portrait skills in this special guided workshop, led by artists Federico Baeza-Autillo and Sarah E Shaw
Friday 13 June 2025 | 10.15am-12.15pm
Free | Members only
Queen's House
An image showing a market woman holding and selling a pineapple. She is next to a basket full of other fruits.
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 25 June 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm
Free
Queen's House
A branch of the bread fruit tree with fruit
Talks and tours | Salons in the Queen's House

Salons in the Queen's House: Breadfruit and the Creolising of Caribbean Foodways

In this free lunchtime talk historian Jade Lindo will explore the historical and cultural significance of breadfruit in the Caribbean
Wednesday 16 July 2025 | 1pm-1.30pm
Free
Queen's House

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