Wildlife to replace historical figures on UK banknotes
It's goodbye to Shakespeare, Churchill and Austen on banknotes as the public votes for wildlife to feature instead. What wildlife do you want to see on them?
The Bank of England (BoE) will ditch historical figures from the back of UK banknotes in a bold new move, which will see wildlife take the spot instead. When the switch happens, it will mean that for the first time in 50 years, no historical figures will be depicted on banknotes.
The move follows a consultation last year, where the public was asked to vote on what they would like to see on UK banknotes. And the public has spoken – they would much rather prefer wildlife than Churchill, Shakespeare or Turner.
MoneyWeek has previously campaigned for more female historical figures to be featured on UK banknotes after we found that a ratio of just three women to 16 men since 1970.
The consultation from the Bank of England last year received over 44,000 responses, with 60% (around 26,000) selecting wildlife as one of their top themes compared to 38% (roughly 16,700) who voted for notable historical figures.
Other options included architecture, landmarks, arts, culture and sport.
Which UK wildlife will be on UK banknotes?
Victoria Cleland, chief cashier at the BoE, said the new notes would “showcase the UK’s rich and varied wildlife”.
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“I look forward to hearing about the public’s favourite wildlife during our forthcoming summer consultation,” she added.
A panel of wildlife experts, including wildlife broadcaster Gordon Buchanan MBE and academic Steve Ormerod from Cardiff University, will be drafted in to create a list of possible options for the public to choose from.
Even after the public have had their say on what wildlife will feature on the new notes, it will still be a few years until they start appearing in your spare change.
While the new notes will feature UK animals on one side, the monarch will still appear on the other as usual.
The BoE said the Home Nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), will also feature on the newly-designed notes.
Have your say – which wildlife would you pick?
While the BoE’s wildlife voting is not yet open, we would like to know what MoneyWeek readers would like to see on their banknotes?
Why is the BoE changing banknotes?
The BoE has previously said it regularly reviews banknotes designs, but one of the bank’s main drivers for the unveiling of new notes is to create currency which is harder to counterfeit, incorporating the latest technology.
The BoE said designing, testing and printing new notes is a “multi-year” process.
What other new banknotes have entered circulation in recent years?
The ascension to the throne of King Charles III in 2022 led to the production of a host of new banknotes featuring the monarch’s face.
The first of these notes started entering circulation in June 2024, in £5, £10, £20 and £50 denominations.
But while the new notes have the King’s face on one side instead of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the flip sides still retain their old designs.
The £5 note was circulated with former prime minister Winston Churchill on the reverse side while the £20 note was printed with the artist J. M. W. Turner on one side.
Some of these new notes have sold for thousands of pounds since being printed as they were some of the first that entered circulation.
It’s not just new notes which have entered circulation since the King’s ascension to the throne – coins bearing his face started arriving at Post Office branches in late 2022.
Wondering what to do with old banknotes? We reveal all you need to know in a separate piece.
