Twenty pounds
(United Kingdom)
Value£20 sterling
Width139 mm
Height73 mm
Security featuresSee-through windows the larger one with a purple border and the Queen's portrait, blue and gold foil on the front, silver foil on the back in the shape of Margate lighthouse, smaller window at the bottom right corner, raised dots, finely detailed round purple metallic image containing the letter "T", blue and pink foil patch with a 3D image of the Coronation Crown, micro lettering, textured print, UV feature, hologram
Material usedPolymer
Years of printing1725–1943;
1970–1991;
1991-2000;
1999-2007;
2007-2020;
2020–2022
2023-present (current design)
Obverse
DesignQueen Elizabeth II
Design date20 February 2020
Reverse
DesignJ. M. W. Turner
Design date20 February 2020

The Bank of England £20 note is a sterling banknote. It is the second-highest denomination of banknote currently issued by the Bank of England. The current polymer note, first issued on 20 February 2020, bears the image of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and the image of painter J. M. W. Turner on the reverse. It replaced the cotton paper note featuring a portrait of economist Adam Smith, first issued in 2007.[1]

History

£20 note, issued from London in 1934.

Twenty pound notes were introduced by the Bank of England for the first time in 1725. The earliest notes were handwritten, and were issued to individuals as needed. These notes were written on one side only and bore the name of the payee, the date, and the signature of the issuing cashier. With the exception of the Restriction Period between 1797 and 1821 when the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars caused a bullion shortage, these notes could be exchanged in full, or in part, for an equivalent amount of gold when presented at the bank. If redeemed in part, the banknote would be signed to indicate the amount that had been redeemed. From 1853 printed notes replaced handwritten notes, with the declaration "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of twenty pounds" replacing the name of the payee. This declaration remains on Bank of England banknotes to this day. A printed signature of one of three cashiers appeared on the printed notes, though this was replaced by the signature of the Chief Cashier from 1870 onward.[2]

The right to redeem banknotes for gold ceased in 1931 when Britain stopped using the gold standard.[2] The twenty pound note ceased to be produced by the Bank of England in 1943, and it was not until 1970 with the introduction of the series D notes that the denomination reappeared. The predominantly purple series D notes were two-sided, with an image of Queen Elizabeth II appearing on one side, accompanied by an image of Saint George and the Dragon (all subsequent Bank of England notes also feature an image of the Queen) and an image of William Shakespeare appearing on the other. This note also had a security feature in the form of a "windowed" metal thread. The thread is woven into the paper so that it forms a dashed line, yet appears as a single line when held up to the light. Series D notes were phased out in favour of the newer series E notes beginning in 1991. These notes were multicoloured (predominantly mauve-purple) and featured an image of scientist Michael Faraday on the back. Series E notes were replaced by a variant design from 1999 onwards. These are broadly similar to the earlier series E notes but feature Edward Elgar on the reverse.[3]

The most prevalent paper £20 note was introduced in 2007. It features a portrait of Scottish economist Adam Smith on the back as well as an illustration of workers in a pin factory.[4] The note features a number of security features in addition to the metallic thread: these include raised print, a watermark, microlettering, a holographic strip, a see-through register, and a colourful pattern which only appears under ultraviolet light.[5]

In September 2015 the Bank of England announced that the next £20 note would be printed on polymer, rather than cotton paper.[6] This was followed by an announcement in April 2016 that Adam Smith would be replaced by artist J. M. W. Turner on the next £20 note, which entered circulation on 20 February 2020.[7][8] Images on the reverse of the Turner note include a c.1799 self-portrait of Turner, a version of Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, the quote "Light is therefore colour" from an 1818 lecture by Turner, and a copy of Turner's signature as made on his will.[9] Like all polymer banknotes issued by the Bank of England, the polymer £20 note features a transparent window to counteract forgery, and raised dots resembling Braille to assist identification by the visually-impaired.

Designs

Note First issued Last issued Ceased to be
legal tender		 Colour Size Design Additional information
White1725194316 April 1945Monochrome
Printed on one side only		211 × 133 mm
(may vary)		Denomination discontinued from 1945 until 1970
Series D9 July 1970199119 March 1993Predominantly purple160 × 90 mmFront: Queen Elizabeth II
Back: William Shakespeare		First £20 note to carry a portrait of a monarch and used a "windowed" security thread (July 1984 onward)
Series E5 June 1991200028 February 2001Multicoloured (predominantly mauve-purple)149 × 80 mmFront: Queen Elizabeth II
Back: Michael Faraday		Those notes issued from September 1993 have an additional denomination symbol £20 on each side
Series E (variant)22 June 1999200730 June 2010Front: Queen Elizabeth II
Back: Edward Elgar
Series F13 March 2007202030 September 2022Front: Queen Elizabeth II
Back: Adam Smith
Series G I20 February 2020[8]139 × 73 mmFront: Queen Elizabeth II
Back: J. M. W. Turner		Polymer note
Series G IIMid-2024139 × 73 mmFront: King Charles III
Back: J. M. W. Turner		First King Charles III notes

Information taken from the Bank of England website.[2][3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Read, Simon (20 February 2020). "New £20 featuring painter Turner enters circulation". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "A brief history of banknotes". Bank of England. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Withdrawn banknotes reference guide". Bank of England. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "£20 Note (Adam Smith) – Design Features". Bank of England. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "£20 Note (Adam Smith) – Security Features". Bank of England. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Paper banknotes disappearing fast as £20 turns plastic". BBC News. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "J.M.W. Turner to appear on the next £20 banknote". Bank of England. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  8. 1 2 Peachey, Kevin (10 October 2018). "£20 note: New design for Britain's most-forged banknote". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "Polymer £20 note". Bank of England. Retrieved 19 November 2018.

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