diff --git a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData.h b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData.h
index f7aa0d74d7a3..a59ff3a13f6c 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData.h
+++ b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData.h
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ class EXPORT_OPT_MANTIDQT_API MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData : public MantidQwtWorksp
   void setPlotAxisChoice(int choice);
   void setNormalization(Mantid::API::MDNormalization choice);
 
-  std::string getXAxisLabel() const;
-  std::string getYAxisLabel() const;
+  QString getXAxisLabel() const;
+  QString getYAxisLabel() const;
   int currentPlotXAxis() const;
 
 
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.h b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.h
index 59c25a96f717..d111688c9a8a 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.h
+++ b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.h
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ class EXPORT_OPT_MANTIDQT_API MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData : public MantidQwtWor
 
   double getYMin() const;
   double getYMax() const;
+  /// Return the label to use for the X axis
+  QString getXAxisLabel() const;
+  /// Return the label to use for the Y axis
+  QString getYAxisLabel() const;
 
   bool isHistogram()const{return m_isHistogram;}
 
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtWorkspaceData.h b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtWorkspaceData.h
index b6c0a2e2d4a7..7c409a98fbe9 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtWorkspaceData.h
+++ b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/inc/MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtWorkspaceData.h
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ class EXPORT_OPT_MANTIDQT_API MantidQwtWorkspaceData:public QwtData
   virtual double ex(size_t i)const = 0;
   virtual double getYMin() const = 0;
   virtual double getYMax() const = 0;
+  virtual QString getXAxisLabel() const = 0;
+  virtual QString getYAxisLabel() const = 0;
+
 protected:
   // Assignment operator (virtualized).
   MantidQwtWorkspaceData& operator=(const MantidQwtWorkspaceData&);
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/src/MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData.cpp b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/src/MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData.cpp
index a47255f1f992..8c1bd7791120 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/src/MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData.cpp
+++ b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/src/MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData.cpp
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include "MantidAPI/NullCoordTransform.h"
 #include "MantidGeometry/MDGeometry/IMDDimension.h"
 #include "MantidGeometry/MDGeometry/MDTypes.h"
+#include <QStringBuilder>
 
 using namespace Mantid::Kernel;
 using namespace Mantid::Geometry;
@@ -443,16 +444,16 @@ int MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData::currentPlotXAxis() const
 
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 /// @return the label for the X axis
-std::string MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData::getXAxisLabel() const
+QString MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData::getXAxisLabel() const
 {
-  std::string xLabel;
+  QString xLabel;
   if ( m_originalWorkspace.expired() )
     return xLabel; // Empty string
   if (m_currentPlotAxis >= 0)
   {
     // One of the dimensions of the original
     IMDDimension_const_sptr dim = m_originalWorkspace.lock()->getDimension(m_currentPlotAxis);
-    xLabel = dim->getName() + " (" + dim->getUnits() + ")";
+    xLabel = QString::fromStdString(dim->getName() + " (" + dim->getUnits() + ")");
   }
   else
   {
@@ -471,7 +472,7 @@ std::string MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData::getXAxisLabel() const
 
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 /// @return the label for the Y axis, based on the selected normalization
-std::string MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData::getYAxisLabel() const
+QString MantidQwtIMDWorkspaceData::getYAxisLabel() const
 {
   switch (m_normalization)
   {
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/src/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.cpp b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/src/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.cpp
index 304beb75889c..af361ad55143 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/src/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.cpp
+++ b/Code/Mantid/MantidQt/API/src/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include "MantidQtAPI/MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData.h"
+#include <QStringBuilder> // provides % operator for QString
 
 /// Constructor
 MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData::MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData(Mantid::API::MatrixWorkspace_const_sptr workspace,int specIndex, const bool logScale, bool distr)
@@ -140,6 +141,51 @@ double MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData::getYMax() const
   return temp;
 }
 
+/**
+ * @return A string containin the text to use as an X axis label
+ */
+QString MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData::getXAxisLabel() const
+{
+  // Deal with axis names
+  Mantid::API::Axis* ax = m_workspace->getAxis(0);
+  QString xTitle;
+  if (ax->unit() && ax->unit()->unitID() != "Empty" )
+  {
+    xTitle = QString::fromStdString(ax->unit()->caption());
+    if ( !ax->unit()->label().empty() )
+    {
+      xTitle += " (" + QString::fromStdWString(ax->unit()->utf8Label()) + ")";
+    }
+  }
+  else if (!ax->title().empty())
+  {
+    xTitle = QString::fromStdString(ax->title());
+  }
+  else
+  {
+    xTitle = "X axis";
+  }
+  return xTitle;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @return A string containin the text to use as an Y axis label
+ */
+QString MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData::getYAxisLabel() const
+{
+  QString yTitle = QString::fromStdString(m_workspace->YUnitLabel());
+  Mantid::API::Axis* ax = m_workspace->getAxis(0);
+  if (m_isDistribution && ax->unit())
+  {
+    const std::string unitID = ax->unit()->unitID();
+    if (unitID != "" || unitID != "Empty")
+    {
+      yTitle = yTitle % " / " % ax->unit()->label().c_str();
+    }
+  }
+  return yTitle;
+}
+
 void MantidQwtMatrixWorkspaceData::setLogScale(bool on)
 {
   m_logScale = on;