A new polymer £20 note featuring artist JMW Turner has entered circulation, marking the Bank of England's most secure banknote to date.
The new edition will start appearing in ATMs and tills throughout the country from Thursday, February 20, with half of all cash points set to be dispensing them within the next fortnight.
The new note will join the Winston Churchill £5 and Jane Austen £10 - and will be followed by a plastic £50 featuring Alan Turing next year.
Turner’s self-portrait, as featured on the new £20 note, is currently on display at the Tate Britain alongside the banknote.
The iconic artist's image was chosen in April 2016 by the Bank's banknote character advisory committee. The note will also feature his signature from his will.
Speaking at the museum, which houses The Turner Bequest, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said: "Our banknotes celebrate the UK’s extraordinarily rich and diverse heritage and highlight the contributions of its greatest citizens.
"Turner’s art was transformative. I am delighted that the work of arguably the single most influential British artist of all time will now appear on another 2 billion works of art – the new £20 notes that people can start using today."
There are over 2billion paper £20 notes in circulation - and now 2billion more polymer ones have been printed.
Laid end to end, this is enough to stretch around the world almost seven times and weigh a total of 1,780 tonnes – that’s over 141 double decker buses.
However the Bank said old, paper notes, will continue to be valid until at least August 2020.
"Paper £20 notes can continue to be used as normal and the Bank will give 6 months' notice ahead of legal tender status being withdrawn," a statement said.
Features on the new £20 note include:
A large see-through window with a blue and gold foil on the front depicting Margate lighthouse and Turner Contemporary. The foil is silver on the back. The shape of the large window is based on the shape of the fountains in Trafalgar Square.
A smaller see-through window in the bottom corner of the note, inspired by Tintern Abbey.
JMW Turner’s self-portrait, painted c. 1799 and currently on display in Tate Britain.
The Queen’s portrait in the see-through window with '£20 Bank of England' printed twice around the edge.
A purple foil patch containing the letter ‘T’ and based on the staircase at Tate Britain.
Turner’s signature from his Will, the document with which he bequeathed many of his paintings to the nation.
