What is on the money in United Kingdom?
Every Bank of England note has been polymer since 2021, which was driven by durability rather than security: a polymer fiver lasts about two and a half times as long as a paper one. Notes carrying King Charles III entered circulation on 5 June 2024, and both monarchs' notes circulate together rather than one replacing the other on a date. Turing's £50 in 2021 was the first time the Bank put a gay man on a note, and it was widely read as a formal apology.
Who and what is on each note
| Note | Who or what is on it | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| £5 | Winston Churchill | Turquoise |
| £10 | Jane Austen | Orange |
| £20 | J. M. W. Turner | Purple |
| £50 | Alan Turing | Red |
The unusual part
Scotland and Northern Ireland have seven separate commercial banks that issue their own notes. Those are not legal tender anywhere in the UK, including Scotland — legal tender is a narrow term about settling debts in court, and almost nothing about everyday payment depends on it.
Notes that were withdrawn
| Note | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paper £5, £10 and £20 | 2017 to 2022 | Replaced by polymer. Paper notes ceased to be legal tender but the Bank of England still exchanges them at face value indefinitely. |
| £1 note | 1988 | Replaced by the coin in 1983; the note was withdrawn five years later. |
The practical facts
- Currency
- Pound sterling — ISO code GBP, symbol £
- Printed on
- Polymer
- Survives a wash?
- Yes. Polymer notes come out of a washing machine intact.
- Can a blind person tell them apart?
- Yes — the denominations differ in size, which is the simplest and most reliable tactile cue there is.
- Highest note in issue
- £50 — Alan Turing
This page describes the notes rather than showing them. Reproducing a banknote image is restricted in most jurisdictions, and the restrictions differ between them.
Common questions
- Who is on the money in United Kingdom?
- £5: Winston Churchill. £10: Jane Austen. £20: J. M. W. Turner. £50: Alan Turing.
- Are United Kingdom's banknotes polymer or paper?
- Polymer. Polymer notes last two to three times as long as paper ones and survive a washing machine.
- Why was the Paper £5, £10 and £20 withdrawn?
- Replaced by polymer. Paper notes ceased to be legal tender but the Bank of England still exchanges them at face value indefinitely. (2017 to 2022.)
Related pages
- United Kingdom Capital, area, population and currency
- The flag of United Kingdom Colours, symbols and lookalikes
- The money in United States US dollar
- The money in Eurozone Euro
- The money in India Indian rupee
- The money in Japan Japanese yen
- The money in Zimbabwe Zimbabwean dollar
- The money in Australia Australian dollar
- The money in Canada Canadian dollar
- The money in China Renminbi
- The money in Switzerland Swiss franc
- The money in South Africa South African rand
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place