Wildlife to replace historical characters on banknotes

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Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondent

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British wildlife will replace historical characters on the next series of Bank of England banknotes - and the public will get their say on which animals and birds will appear.

Images of wildlife would be difficult to counterfeit, while also allowing for a celebration of nature across the country, the Bank said.

It spells the end for the, sometimes controversial, choice of historical characters which have appeared on £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes for more than 50 years.

A panel of experts will draw up a wildlife shortlist to put before the public. The final decision is made by the Bank’s governor but it is likely to be a few years before the new notes enter circulation.

“The key driver for introducing a new banknote series is always to increase counterfeit resilience, but it also provides an opportunity to celebrate different aspects of the UK,” said the Bank’s chief cashier, Victoria Cleland, whose signature appears on notes.

Nature was the most popular theme in the 44,000 responses to a public consultation and focus groups on banknote imagery.

Some 60% of respondents selected it as one of their preferred themes, ahead of architecture and landmarks (56%); historical figures (38%); arts, culture and sport (30%); innovation (23%); and noteworthy milestones (19%), the Bank said.

Wildlife already appears on banknotes in the UK, with mackerel, otters, red squirrels and osprey featuring on notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

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A shortlist will be drawn up of wildlife that may appear

The panel of experts choosing the contenders to feature on the next set of Bank of England designs is made up of wildlife filmmakers and presenters Gordon Buchanan, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Nadeem Perera, alongside Ulster Wildlife’s Katy Bell, and academics Steve Ormerod and Dawn Scott.

Perera said: “The wildlife of the UK is not separate from our culture. It sits in our football crests, our folklore, our coastlines and our childhoods. Giving it space on something as symbolic as our currency feels both overdue and significant.”

Safe choice?

The monarch has appeared on Bank of England notes since 1960, and will continue to do so in the future. Images of historical characters, starting with William Shakespeare, were first seen on the reverse side a decade later.

The current crop on circulating notes, in ascending order of note value, are Sir Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner and Alan Turing.

The Bank found itself mired in controversy owing to the absence of any women, apart from Queen Elizabeth II on notes in 2013. There has never been a historical figure who is black or from an ethnic minority background on the Bank’s notes.

Bosses at the Bank may feel they are less likely to face a backlash with choices of wildlife. However, the naming of the robin as the UK’s favourite bird did have its critics.

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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.

The Bank may hope to match the success of Bermuda Monetary Authority’s $5 note, which was the latest winner of the International Bank Note Society’s banknote of the year award.

The note is predominantly pink and carries images of a blue marlin, dolphins and tuna fish as well as a profile of King Charles III. The back of the vertically designed note combines butterflies, flora, Horseshoe Bay and a boat passing beneath Somerset Bridge.

Animals and nature, as well as railways and TV nostalgia, featured strongly among the ideas sent in to the BBC’s Your Voice when we asked for your views on banknote themes last year.

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