Banknotes (Bank of England) redesign

[pr1]

From Shakespeare, Fry, Dickens, and Churchill, the Bank of England has celebrated famous/significant figures for decades. But not for much longer...



BBC story:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4geyyg9en6o

Quote:

In the summer, the public will be invited to say which specific wildlife, native to the UK, from the shortlist they would like to feature on the next series of banknotes. Household pets will not be considered.

The new notes may also incorporate other elements from nature, such as plants and landscapes, to complete the design.

I admit that I'm something of a nerd about this. Drawing up who should feature on notes has felt rather inconsistent and sometimes illogical (Elizabeth Fry was considered rather obscure, Jane Austen's note features a quote she didn't say, and for the best part of twenty years the £50 celebrated Sir John Houblon, not exactly a household name)

I'm cautious about wildlife in case the new designs look rather generic. What does the forum think about losing people and gaining, potentially, deer, owls, and robins?

 

[styles]

I don't spend long enough looking at my bank notes to have ever actually noticed who is on them. I broadly recognise news articles about it because it was a big thing having more women on banknotes, and I think it was good for Alan Turing to be featured on the bullseye, given how badly the state treated him for his sexuality when he was alive. But that's about it.

Interestingly, the Bank of Scotland just use Walter Scott on all of their banknotes, and has done for decades. The only other human on standard banknotes is Flora Murray on £100 notes, which are more novelty items if we're being honest.

 

[cb a1]

Royal Bank of Scotland notes are currently on a wildlife series. Mackerel, otters, red squirrels and Ospreys.
I do have a recollection of more than one person being positive about them.
Personally, I am a supporter of variety. A series with animals, then maybe plants, then fungi, buildings, trains, cars, etc.

 

[pdeaves]

Personally, I am a supporter of variety. A series with animals, then maybe plants, then fungi, buildings, trains, cars, etc.

I agree. "Safe", pleasing-to-view subjects are best. Using real people can become very political and can (inadvertently) give the wrong message.

 

[Railwaycat]

Royal Bank of Scotland notes are currently on a wildlife series. Mackerel, otters, red squirrels and Ospreys.

I'd go along with that for our notes, with red deer instead of mackerel.

 

[sor]

Can't say I look at cash much these days, but I support the move in so much as it stops any arguments over who is worthy of being celebrated on a bank note. Yeah there'll be arguments over the choice of animal but it won't be as contentious as whether or not some historical figure did something that we now wouldn't approve of

 

[sprunt]

From the article linked in OP:

Images of wildlife would be difficult to counterfeit

That's nonsense, surely?Why would an image of wildlife be harder to counterfeit than an image of a person? Surely the difficulty of counterfeiting would depend more on the level of detail, the style of the design and other such things than what the subject is?

 

[pdeaves]

From the article linked in OP:



That's nonsense, surely?Why would an image of wildlife be harder to counterfeit than an image of a person? Surely the difficulty of counterfeiting would depend more on the level of detail, the style of the design and other such things than what the subject is?

I suspect someone has grasped the wrong end of the stick. Probably intended as something like "the wildlife designs would include anti-counterfeiting devices" (just like any other design, of course!).

 

[The exile]

I suspect someone has grasped the wrong end of the stick. Probably intended as something like "the wildlife designs would include anti-counterfeiting devices" (just like any other design, of course!).

What almost certainly will be true will be that the designs will themselves be complex as an anti- counterfeiting measure. As I remember hearing someone from the Bank of England years ago saying that beards helped make designs complex (probably when Dickens first appeared) maybe we should expect hairy animals with bushy tails!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I'm cautious about wildlife in case the new designs look rather generic. What does the forum think about losing people and gaining, potentially, deer, owls, and robins?

I don't see why not.
Will be more interesting.

 

[The exile]

I don't see why not.
Will be more interesting.

Certainly less controversial than choices of individual people or even places.Curlews and Dormice are unlikely to have been mired in the slave trade or child labour, nor built with profits from either.

 

[simonw]

Someone has to say it so: what's a bank note, I haven't used one in years.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Someone has to say it so: what's a bank note, I haven't used one in years.

They're these pieces of complex paper/plastic that sit in your wallet until something you need is cash only.
Alternatively: an excuse not to buy tickets before travel if the Ticket Machine doesn't accept it.

 

[The exile]

They're these pieces of complex paper/plastic that sit in your wallet until something you need is cash only.
Alternatively: an excuse not to buy tickets before travel if the Ticket Machine doesn't accept it.

Or that in lots of situations are at least temporarily immune to systems going down!

 

[Bishops]

From the article linked in OP:



That's nonsense, surely?Why would an image of wildlife be harder to counterfeit than an image of a person? Surely the difficulty of counterfeiting would depend more on the level of detail, the style of the design and other such things than what the subject is?

There was someone on Radio 5 today stating that with animals they can actually make the watermarks so it looks like the wildlife is moving - which i thought was pretty cool

 

[Ashley Hill]

Why not have pictures of Diesels? 05,10,20 and 50

 

[cav1975]

I suspect that the UK’s most plentiful “large” mammal is the fox, but I can’t see them putting it on a banknote! Similar considerations for seagulls.

 

[kje7812]

I suspect someone has grasped the wrong end of the stick. Probably intended as something like "the wildlife designs would include anti-counterfeiting devices" (just like any other design, of course!).

This is the case with Scottish notes, for instance the scales on the mackerel on the RBS £5 are different colours if looked under UV. Similarly with the otters on the £10 and I assume on the £20 as well.
The current Bank of England UV designs are very plain with just the denomination on one side.

Interestingly, the Bank of Scotland just use Walter Scott on all of their banknotes, and has done for decades.

IIRC Walter Scott campaigned for the Scottish banks to retain the power to issue their own notes thus his inclusion is celebrating his championing.

I suspect that the UK’s most plentiful “large” mammal is the fox, but I can’t see them putting it on a banknote! Similar considerations for seagulls.

I dunno, foxes are fairly canny. But what's the most canny banknote?

Certainly less controversial than choices of individual people or even places.Curlews and Dormice are unlikely to have been mired in the slave trade or child labour, nor built with profits from either.

The other alternative is landmarks such as rivers and mountains. I can see a Mountain series working well (especially if all of the UK).

 

[Rick1984]

A kimgfisher would be excellent. Foxes might be seen as a pest these days but I think they'd be good too

 

[The exile]

The other alternative is landmarks such as rivers and mountains. I can see a Mountain series working well (especially if all of the UK).

That then has a higher risk of laying the Bank open to accusations of regional bias (Lincolnshire and East Anglia are effectively shut out from representation if it’s mountains). Including Scottish and Irish scenes on Bank of England notes would also court controversy.
Choose well-distributed wildlife and you avoid that.

 

[stadler]

Very surprising that they are looking to replace the banknotes already. We have only just finished the rollout of the new polymer banknotes. You would think that the current series has a lot longer to go befire it needs an upgrade.

I like the idea of animals. It is a good neutral design and generally well liked. Hedgehog, Fox, Badger, Squirrel, Deer, Robin, Owl, Kingfisher, Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Other Birds, would all be good choices.

Lots of other countries use animals instead of people and it always looks good. Kazakhstan have a current series with animals and in particular the 10,000 banknote with a Snow Leopard looks amazing. Iceland also has a 10,000 banknote with a bird on it which looks rather nice. New Zealand also has a very nice colourful series with native birds including a Penguin and others on each of their five banknotes. So i think animals would work well.

I would also like to see the face of the monarch removed. It would prevent the ridiculous situation of new banknotes have to be designed and printed every time a king or queen dies. We only just finished the rollout of the new polymer series and then Elizabeth died and they had to create brand new Charles ones.

Guernsey has already decided to no longer feature the monarch on the new series that comes out next year. Jersey is also considering no longer featuring the monarch on their next series being designed. Plus all of the Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes do not feature the monarch.

I also wonder whether the new series will include a £50 banknote. I read that Guernsey and Jersey are both considering not printing a £50 in their next series. The fact that they are so rarely seen and so hard to spend makes me wonder if the government will just decide to scrap them.

 

[Henffordd]

The trend toward cashless is probably why we don't see many £50 notes. £20 notes were seen as big money when they first appeared. And I'm old enough to remember the white £5 notes - which only had a picture of Britannia - which in their time were also not seen too often.

 

[The exile]

Very surprising that they are looking to replace the banknotes already. We have only just finished the rollout of the new polymer banknotes. You would think that the current series has a lot longer to go befire it needs an upgrade.

Although the polymer rollout has only just ended, the basic design of the note series is already 30+ years old- and this is no doubt the beginning of a long road to and actual introduction of the H series.

 

[zero]

Very surprising that they are looking to replace the banknotes already. We have only just finished the rollout of the new polymer banknotes. You would think that the current series has a lot longer to go befire it needs an upgrade.

I also wonder whether the new series will include a £50 banknote. I read that Guernsey and Jersey are both considering not printing a £50 in their next series. The fact that they are so rarely seen and so hard to spend makes me wonder if the government will just decide to scrap them.

The BOE and several other central banks of developed countries seem to want to replace notes every 15 years or so. The polymer £5 is almost 10 years old so if they are just starting the process now it will probably be ready for release in about 5 years time.

Guernsey and Jersey do not really need their own £50 note since they can use BOE (or Scottish) ones. However I have read that printing notes is a small but significant source of revenue for them especially considering their small population; there are plenty of collectors who will pay £70 for a piece of paper (or plastic) that says £50 on it which cost the government £1 to manufacture. Obviously the government would have to credit you £50 if you attempt to cash them in, but a moderate proportion of these £50s will not be cashed in.

For this reason Jersey and Gibraltar have even issued £100 notes which I doubt will ever be used as cash:

The only other human on standard banknotes is Flora Murray on £100 notes, which are more novelty items if we're being honest.

I have actually seen BOS £100 notes used "in the wild" in Scotland. Last Christmas I even bought one for £96 in Thailand and brought it back to the UK.

 

[DelW]

Why not have pictures of Diesels? 05,10,20 and 50
View attachment 200138

I think that's brilliant! Brightened up my morning

 

[High Dyke]

I'm just gutted I won't be able to get my hands on a beaver.

 

[DelW]

Predictably, a pathetic bunch of politicians are trying to make a culture war out of this, with Badenoch claiming it's "erasing history" and that Margaret Thatcher should be on a note; and Farage claiming ludicrously that it's "the definition of woke" and "PC mad and loony".

Unfortunately Ed Davey, who should know better, is joining in with this twaddle, saying "Winston Churchill ... deserves better than being replaced by a badger ... we should be celebrating Britain's defiance of the Nazis".

ITVX report here:

https://www.itv.com/news/2026-03-12/leaders-unite-against-replacing-historical-figures-on-banknotes-with-animals

Replacing figures including Sir Winston Churchill with images of wildlife on the next series of Bank of England banknotes is "erasing our history", Kemi Badenoch has said.

The Conservative leader, who described herself as a "huge fan" of Churchill, described the government's plan to overhaul the UK's banknotes - announced on Wednesday - as "a silly thing to do".

Nigel Farage MP: The Bank of England is replacing Winston Churchill with a picture of a beaver on our bank notes. This is the definition of woke.

Writing on X, Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey said: "Winston Churchill helped defeat fascism in Europe. He deserves better than being replaced by a badger."

He went on to add: "I can't think of a worse time to do this, with a war waging in Europe, we should be celebrating Britain's defiance of the Nazis.

Unfortunately for them, they don't seem to have noticed that the proposal apparently has much more support than any of this bunch do:

The Bank’s move follows a consultation in which the UK wildlife theme received the highest proportion of nominations, at 60%.

Architecture and landmarks was a close second at 56%, followed by notable historical figures (38%), arts, culture and sport (30%), innovation (23%) and noteworthy milestones (19%).

More than 44,000 responses were received, including from online surveys, emails and designs submitted by schools and the public.

As for Badenoch's idea of Thatcher on banknotes, that should be enough to make her unelectable on its own. She also appears not to comprehend that the Bank of England is not run by the Government.

 

[BAFRA77]

Was on the Tube earlier on and this guy who looked like he had been through several PTSD episodes during a war rushed off the carriage just before it left Mornington Crescent leaving his bag behind.

Picking it up to hand it in at the nearest lost property office a couple of things fell out.

One was a pass with the title “SPAD to the Leader of the Opposition” and a piece of paper with a load of crayon on it titled “My Banknotes Wishlist by Olukemi - Aged 46 and a quarter”

£5 - My mate Kwasi
£10 - William Joyce
£20 - So I can have my name on them - Enoch Powell
£50 - Big Nige and Bobby Jenrick Mud Wrestling whilst Tommy Robinson looks on eating a Pot Noodle (check if Pot Noodle is Halal)

All notes to have a picture of the Chagos on them. Mel tells me they are actually some islands miles away - I thought it was that posh chicken restaurant chain all the kids go to…”

 

[Lewisham2221]

Predictably, a pathetic bunch of politicians are trying to make a culture war out of this, with Badenoch claiming it's "erasing history" and that Margaret Thatcher should be on a note; and Farage claiming ludicrously that it's "the definition of woke" and "PC mad and loony".

Unfortunately Ed Davey, who should know better, is joining in with this twaddle, saying "Winston Churchill ... deserves better than being replaced by a badger ... we should be celebrating Britain's defiance of the Nazis".

ITVX report here:

https://www.itv.com/news/2026-03-12/leaders-unite-against-replacing-historical-figures-on-banknotes-with-animals

Unfortunately for them, they don't seem to have noticed that the proposal apparently has much more support than any of this bunch do:

As for Badenoch's idea of Thatcher on banknotes, that should be enough to make her unelectable on its own. She also appears not to comprehend that the Bank of England is not run by the Government.

Yes, the outrage over this is equal parts mind boggling and pathetic.

Darren Grimes has voiced his opinion on Facebook, with this gem:

We're putting wildlife on our bank notes instead of historical figures that moulded, shaped and built our nation. Presumably because those figures are white men and that's obviously bad! What a stupid decision.

You'd think someone with such strong feelings, about the figures depicted on bank notes, would have paid at least some attention to who features on the current £10 note and who was on the £5 before Winston Churchill...

 

[Gloster]

Why not have pictures of Diesels? 05,10,20 and 50
View attachment 200138

That’s a funny looking 05.

I read somewhere that Emma Soames, Churchill’s granddaughter, says that the family are completely unworried about the change as they knew the choice of image wasn’t permanent. When asked about the replacement, she just said, ‘Lucky Badger’.