Notable women who made their mark
ROYAL Bank of Scotland has been issuing banknotes since 1727 and has an average of £1.5bn worth of notes in circulation on a single day.
The existing paper £20 note features a portrait of Lord Ilay, the first governor of Royal Bank of Scotland with an image of Brodick Castle on the reverse.
The polymer £20 note is set for issue in 2020 and will follow the £5 polymer note, which was launched in 2016 featuring poet and author Nan Shepherd, and the £10 polymer which was launched in 2017 and includes the portrait of scientist Mary Somerville.
The new note will carry the same exclusive weave pattern developed by textile designers Alistair Mcdade and Elspeth Anderson for the £5 and £10 polymer notes.
In designing the new notes, Royal Bank of Scotland launched the People’s Money programme and engaged with thousands of people across Scotland through workshops, online communities and polling surveys.
As a result, Fabric of Nature was chosen as the theme.
The choice of Kate Cranston to feature on the £20 note was taken by the Royal Bank of Scotland Scottish Board.
In keeping with the theme, the new £20 features illustrations of red squirrels on its reverse and the blaeberry fruit.
It also includes extracts from 16th century Scottish poet Mark Alexander Boyd’s work, Cupid and Venus.
Mackerel in the sea are depicted on the £5 note with otters on the shore on the
£10 note.
Leading Scottish arts’ organisations and designers have been involved in the designs including Graven Images, Nile, Stucco, Timorous Beasties, O’street and the Glasgow School of Art,
Neil Wallace, director of O’street, said: “The Royal Bank polymer bank notes have been designed as a series.
“As well as looking beautiful on their own, it was important that they worked together as a set. With notes from multiple banks in circulation in the UK, we wanted the people of Scotland to easily recognise the Royal Bank notes.”
The £20 is the third in the series of Fabric of Nature themed notes made from De La Rue’s Safeguard® polymer material which also contains a variety of new security features, making it difficult to counterfeit but easy to authenticate.