After more than 50 years the Bank of England has announced a significant change to banknotes in the United Kingdom.
In a few years, British citizens will notice a significant change in the appearance of their banknotes due to the replacement of historical figures.
Rather, the next series of Bank of England banknotes will include pictures of UK wildlife, and the public will be able to choose which natural elements to include.
After more than 50 years of featuring notable figures from British history on banknotes, such as Sir Winston Churchill, Alan Turing, and Jane Austen, this represents a change.
According to the Bank the shift to wildlife imagery offers a chance to honor another significant facet of the country.
According to the central bank it also makes security features more distinguishable and makes it harder for the notes to be counterfeited.
A key component of the design will be the representation of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
“Increasing counterfeit resilience is always the key driver for introducing a new banknote series, but it also provides an opportunity to celebrate different aspects of the UK,” stated Victoria Cleland, chief cashier at the Bank of England.
“From the standpoint of banknote authentication, nature is an excellent choice and it allows us to highlight the UK’s diverse and abundant wildlife on the upcoming banknote series.”
“I’m excited to learn about the wildlife that the public prefers during our upcoming summer consultation.”
The action comes after a consultation where the UK wildlife theme garnered the largest percentage of nominations 60%.
At 56%, architecture and landmarks came in second, followed by notable historical figures (38%), sports, art and culture (30%), innovation (23%), and significant milestones (19%).
Over 44,000 responses were obtained from emails, online surveys, and designs that the public and schools submitted.
This summer, a second consultation will be held to get opinions on the particular wildlife—which may include plants, animals, and landscapes—that they would like to highlight.
The banknotes, which will still feature the monarch’s portrait, won’t be released for a number of years.
