diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5c29cbc2..a1c43d8b 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 # Changelog
 ## vx.x.x
+- Add method to edit axes label text & tests, hide one label on 2D viewer #389
 - Fix failing unit test #394
 - Add slider widget #365
 - Removed VTK 8 variants from conda recipe.
diff --git a/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewer.py b/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewer.py
index aad89a13..ffbca441 100644
--- a/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewer.py
+++ b/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewer.py
@@ -1072,4 +1072,4 @@ def remove_clipping_plane(self):
             self.clipping_plane_initialised = False
 
             self.getRenderer().Render()
-            self.updatePipeline()
+            self.updatePipeline()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewer2D.py b/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewer2D.py
index b7fbcc82..a5e996d0 100644
--- a/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewer2D.py
+++ b/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewer2D.py
@@ -329,13 +329,17 @@ def ChangeOrientation(self, new_slice_orientation):
         self.UpdatePipeline(True)
 
     def OnKeyPress(self, interactor, event):
+        al = self._viewer.axisLabelsText
         if self.GetInputData() is None:
             return
         if self.reslicing_enabled and interactor.GetKeyCode() == "x":
+            self._viewer.setAxisLabels(['', al[1], al[2]], False)
             self.ChangeOrientation(SLICE_ORIENTATION_YZ)
         elif self.reslicing_enabled and interactor.GetKeyCode() == "y":
+            self._viewer.setAxisLabels([al[0], '', al[2]], False)
             self.ChangeOrientation(SLICE_ORIENTATION_XZ)
         elif self.reslicing_enabled and interactor.GetKeyCode() == "z":
+            self._viewer.setAxisLabels([al[0], al[1], ''], False)
             self.ChangeOrientation(SLICE_ORIENTATION_XY)
         elif interactor.GetKeyCode() == "a":
             self._viewer.autoWindowLevelOnSliceRange()
diff --git a/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewerBase.py b/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewerBase.py
index bcd52bb5..2f16553c 100644
--- a/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewerBase.py
+++ b/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/CILViewerBase.py
@@ -106,6 +106,8 @@ def __init__(self, dimx=600, dimy=600, renWin=None, iren=None, ren=None, debug=F
         ori.SetEnabled(1)
         ori.InteractiveOff()
         self.orientation_marker = ori
+        # axes labels
+        self.axisLabelsText = self.getCurrentAxisLabelsText()
 
         # holder for list of actors and widgets
         self.actors = {}
@@ -394,3 +396,25 @@ def setVisualisationDownsampling(self, value):
 
     def getVisualisationDownsampling(self):
         return self.visualisation_downsampling
+
+    def getCurrentAxisLabelsText(self):
+        '''Returns the current labels on the axis widget.'''
+        om = self.orientation_marker.GetOrientationMarker()
+        return [om.GetXAxisLabelText(), om.GetYAxisLabelText(), om.GetZAxisLabelText()]
+
+    def setAxisLabels(self, labels=['x', 'y', 'z'], overwrite_flag=True):
+        '''Sets the axes widget labels.
+        
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        labels : list of str
+        overwrite_flag : bool
+            If True the attribute 'axisLabelText' is overwritten, if False it is not overwritten'''
+        if type(labels) != list:
+            raise TypeError("Labels must be a list of strings")
+        if overwrite_flag is True:
+            self.axisLabelsText = labels
+        om = self.orientation_marker.GetOrientationMarker()
+        om.SetXAxisLabelText(labels[0])
+        om.SetYAxisLabelText(labels[1])
+        om.SetZAxisLabelText(labels[2])
diff --git a/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/standalone_viewer.py b/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/standalone_viewer.py
index 302495d2..a2102da2 100644
--- a/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/standalone_viewer.py
+++ b/Wrappers/Python/ccpi/viewer/standalone_viewer.py
@@ -113,7 +113,6 @@ def __init__(self, title="", viewer1_type='2D', viewer2_type='3D', *args, **kwar
         self.app = app
 
         self.set_up(title, viewer1_type, viewer2_type, *args, **kwargs)
-        self.show()
 
     def set_up(self, title, viewer1_type, viewer2_type=None, *args, **kwargs):
         '''
@@ -154,8 +153,8 @@ def main():
     err = vtk.vtkFileOutputWindow()
     err.SetFileName("viewer.log")
     vtk.vtkOutputWindow.SetInstance(err)
-    standalone_viewer("Standalone Viewer", viewer1_type='2D', viewer2_type='3D')
-
+    standalone_viewer_instance = standalone_viewer("Standalone Viewer", viewer1_type='2D', viewer2_type='3D')
+    standalone_viewer_instance.show()
     return 0
 
 
diff --git a/Wrappers/Python/test/test_CILViewerBase.py b/Wrappers/Python/test/test_CILViewerBase.py
index e308fc95..75022588 100644
--- a/Wrappers/Python/test/test_CILViewerBase.py
+++ b/Wrappers/Python/test/test_CILViewerBase.py
@@ -29,6 +29,29 @@
 print("skip_test is set to ", skip_test)
 
 
+@unittest.skipIf(skip_test, "Skipping tests on GitHub Actions")
+class CILViewerBaseTest(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        '''Creates an instance of the CIL viewer base class.'''
+        self.CILViewerBase_instance = CILViewerBase()
+
+    def test_setAxisLabels(self):
+        '''Edits the labels in the axes widget and checks they have been set correctly.
+        The test is performed with overwrite flag set to default, True, or False.'''
+        labels = ['a', 'b', 'c']
+        self.CILViewerBase_instance.setAxisLabels(labels)
+        new_labels = self.CILViewerBase_instance.getCurrentAxisLabelsText()
+        self.assertEqual(new_labels, labels)
+        self.assertEqual(self.CILViewerBase_instance.axisLabelsText, labels)
+
+        labels_2 = ['c', 'd', 'e']
+        self.CILViewerBase_instance.setAxisLabels(labels_2, False)
+        new_labels = self.CILViewerBase_instance.getCurrentAxisLabelsText()
+        self.assertEqual(new_labels, labels_2)
+        self.assertEqual(self.CILViewerBase_instance.axisLabelsText, labels)
+
+
 @unittest.skipIf(skip_test, "Skipping tests on GitHub Actions")
 class CILViewer3DTest(unittest.TestCase):