New Sir Winston Churchill £5 polymer note
The new plastic Bank of England £5 note entering into circulation on 13 September 2016, will be cleaner and more durable and could last five years, and harder to counterfeit than the paper notes. The use of thin, transparent polymer is a first for the Bank of England, which invested £70m in the project. Plastic notes are already in use in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia and Canada.
Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Sir Winston Churchill’s birthplace, the Bank is also releasing advice to businesses about dealing with the new polymer notes, which are 15% smaller than the current notes.
According to Brendan Doyle, of CMS Payments Intelligence, “Retailers and banks are going to have to invest over £200m to alter ATMs, Self-service checkout and other equipment.”
The artwork on the banknote will also include Churchill’s declaration:- “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat,” which was part of his speech in the Commons on 13th May 1940. There is a view of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower from the South Bank in gold foil on the front of the note and silver on the back. The great clock showing three o’clock- the approximate time of the commons speech is sported. A background image of the Nobel Prize for literature, which Churchill was awarded in 1953 beguiles one.
The image of Churchill has featured on currency before and he was the first commoner to be shown on a British coin when he appeared on the 1965 crown, or five shilling piece. There are more than 3,289 million £5 notes in circulation. The new £10 and £20 notes will also soon be printed on polymer.
| Note | Bank | Date of Introduction | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| £5 | Bank of England | September 2016 | Sir Winston Churchill |
| £10 | Bank of England | September 2017 | Jane Austen |
| £20 | Bank of England | by 2020 | JMW Turner |
| £5 | Clydesdale Bank | March 2015 | Sir William Arrol / forth Bridge |
| £5 | Royal Bank of Scotland | Autumn 2016 | Nan Shepherd |
| £10 | Royal Bank of Scotland | 2017 | Mary Somerville |
| £5 | Bank of Scotland | Autumn 2016 | Sir Walter Scott/The Mound |