New J.M.W. Turner £20 polymer banknote: design, release date, security features and more (copy)

Details of the new plastic £20 banknote featuring J.M.W. Turner have been released. Here, we explain everything you need to know about the newest polymer note.

The Bank of England has announced details of the new polymer £20 banknote, which is due to be released by 2020 and will feature the face of much-loved artist J.M.W. Turner.

Explaining the decision to feature Turner on the new polymer note, Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, said:

"Turner is perhaps the single most influential British artist of all time. His work was transformative for the art world. His influence spanned his lifetime and well beyond."

It’s the first time that the Bank of England has used its new character selection process for a note, in which the public was asked put forward figures from the visual arts for a vote.

An impressive 29,701 nominations were received for 590 eligible characters.

Like the Winston Churchill fiver and the Jane Austen tenner, the new £20 will be more durable, secure and cleaner than the old paper notes.

The Bank of England says the notes will be in circulation in three years’ time, meaning that by 2020 all of the notes aside from the £50 will be made of plastic.

There are no plans to make a polymer £50.

Production of the £20 note hasn’t started yet. The old £20 notes will be phased out shortly after the polymer ones are introduced in 2020.

Design of the new £20 note

The reverse side includes J.M.W Turner’s self-portrait, which was painted around 1799. Feel like you’ve seen this image before? You’ll find it on display in Tate Britain.

It also features Turner’s painting, The Fighting Temeraire. The work is a tribute to the ship HMS Temeraire, which played a key role in Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

The quote “Light is therefore colour” is from an 1818 lecture by Turner, which refers to the innovative use of light, shade, colour and tone in his pictures.

You’ll also see a signature from his will, in which he bequeathed his paintings to various British institutions.

Will the new £20 notes be meat-free?

The launch of the new fiver proved controversial after it was revealed the note contained traces of tallow, or animal fat.

Despite a legal battle, the Bank of England said that it had no plans to withdraw the notes from circulation as it’d cost the taxpayer too much to replace.

The Bank said it had considered delaying the release of the impending new £10 note in order to make changes, but concluded that it would costs as much as £10 million and compromise new anti-counterfeit measures.

As for the £20, production has not yet begun and the Bank has given no indication whether the note will contain tallow.

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