{{Short description|Twenty pounds sterling banknote}} {{Infobox banknote | country = United Kingdom | denomination = Twenty [[Pound (currency)|pounds]] | value = £20 [[Pound sterling|sterling]] | unit = | width_mm = 139 | height_mm = 73 | security_features = See-through windows the larger one with a purple border and the King's/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 | paper_type = Polymer | years_of_printing = 1725–1943;<br/>1970–1991;<br/>1991–2000;<br/>1999–2007;<br/>2007–2020;<br/>2020–2022<br/>2023–present (current design) | obverse = Bank of England £20 Series G II obverse.jpg | obverse_design = [[King Charles III]] | obverse_designer = | obverse_design_date = 5 June 2024 | reverse = Bank of England £20 Series G II reverse.jpg | reverse_design = [[J. M. W. Turner]] and ''[[The Fighting Temeraire]]'' | reverse_designer = | reverse_design_date = 5 June 2024 }}
The '''Bank of England £20 note''' is a [[pound sterling|sterling]] banknote. It is the second-highest denomination of banknote currently issued by the [[Bank of England]]. The current polymer note, first issued on 5 June 2024, bears the image of [[King Charles III]] on the obverse. The other note first issued on 20 February 2020, bears the image of the late [[Queen Elizabeth II]] on the obverse and [[Self-Portrait (Turner)|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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Read|first=Simon|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51559349|title=New £20 featuring painter Turner enters circulation|date=2020-02-20|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-02-20|language=en-GB}}</ref>
==History== [[File:White-note-20-pounds-1934.jpg|thumb|left|£20 note, issued from London in 1934.]] <!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:£20 note Series D (1970–1991) front.jpg|thumb|left|"Series D" £20 note, issued from 1970 to 1991.]] --> 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.<ref name="BoE History">{{cite web|url=http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/about/history.aspx|title=A brief history of banknotes|publisher=Bank of England|access-date=28 April 2016}}</ref>
The right to redeem banknotes for gold ceased in 1931 when Britain stopped using the [[gold standard]].<ref name="BoE History"/> The twenty pound note [[Operation Bernhard|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 [[Elizabeth II|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.<ref name="BoE Withdrawn">{{cite web|url=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/withdrawn-banknotes|title=Withdrawn banknotes reference guide|publisher=Bank of England|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref>
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.<ref name="£20 Design">{{cite web|url=http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/current/current_20.aspx|title=£20 Note (Adam Smith) – Design Features|publisher=Bank of England|access-date=28 April 2016|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117022729/http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/current/current_20.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="£20 Security">{{cite web|url=http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/current/security_20.aspx|title=£20 Note (Adam Smith) – Security Features|publisher=Bank of England|access-date=28 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117150958/http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/current/security_20.aspx|archive-date=17 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In September 2015 the Bank of England announced that the next £20 note would be printed on polymer, rather than cotton paper.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34127544|title=Paper banknotes disappearing fast as £20 turns plastic|publisher=BBC News|access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/polymer-20-pound-note|title=J.M.W. Turner to appear on the next £20 banknote|publisher=Bank of England|access-date=16 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49987329|title=£20 note: New design for Britain's most-forged banknote|date=10 October 2018|last=Peachey|first=Kevin|website=bbc.co.uk|access-date=10 October 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/polymer-20-pound-note|title=Polymer £20 note|publisher=Bank of England|access-date=19 November 2018}}</ref> 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== {|class="wikitable" |- ! Note ! First issued ! Last issued ! Ceased to be<br />legal tender ! width= "150pt"|Colour ! Size ! Design ! width= "250pt"|Additional information |- | White || 1725 || 1943 || 16 April 1945 || Monochrome<br />Printed on one side only|| 211 × 133 mm<br />(may vary) || ||Denomination discontinued from 1945 until 1970 |- | Series D || 9 July 1970 || 1991 || 19 March 1993 || Predominantly purple || 160 × 90 mm || Front: Queen Elizabeth II<br />Back: [[William Shakespeare]] || First £20 note to carry a portrait of a monarch and used a "windowed" security thread (July 1984 onward) |- | Series E || 5 June 1991 || 2000 || 28 February 2001 || rowspan="5"|Multicoloured (predominantly mauve-purple) ||rowspan="3"| 149 × 80 mm || Front: Queen Elizabeth II<br />Back: [[Michael Faraday]] || Those notes issued from September 1993 have an additional denomination symbol £20 on each side |- | Series E (variant) || 22 June 1999 || 2007 || 30 June 2010 || Front: Queen Elizabeth II<br />Back: [[Edward Elgar]] || |- | Series F || 13 March 2007 || 2020 || 30 September 2022 || Front: Queen Elizabeth II<br />Back: [[Adam Smith]] || |- | Series G (I) || 20 February 2020<ref name="BBC" /> || 2022 || || 139 × 73 mm || Front: Queen Elizabeth II<br />Back: [[J. M. W. Turner]] || Polymer note |- | Series G (II) || 5 June 2024<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68358277|title=King Charles banknotes to enter circulation in June|work=BBC News |date=21 February 2024|access-date=21 February 2024}}</ref> || || || 139 × 73 mm || Front: King Charles III<br />Back: [[J. M. W. Turner]] || First King Charles III notes |- |} Information taken from the Bank of England website.<ref name="BoE History"/><ref name="BoE Withdrawn"/>
==See also== {{Portal|Money|Numismatics|United Kingdom}} *[[Bank of England note issues]] *[[Memorials to William Shakespeare]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes Bank of England website]
{{Banknotes of the pound sterling}} {{Authority control}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bank of England 20 note}} [[Category:Banknotes of England]] [[Category:Twenty-base-unit banknotes]]