Bank of England note issues

Bank of England note issues

The United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (red) and British overseas territories (blue) using sterling or their local issue
ISO 4217
Code	GBP
Denominations
Currency symbol £ Subunit currently penny sterling (1/100); previously, until decimalisation on 15 February 1971, shilling sterling (1/20) and pre-decimal penny sterling (1/240) Subunit symbol p (penny); s or /– (shilling); d (pre-decimal penny) Banknotes Denominations (currently) £5, £10, £20, £50
Demographics
Users	United Kingdom Jersey Guernsey Isle of Man South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (Tristan da Cunha only)
Legal Tender in	England and Wales
Issuance
Issued by	Bank of England
Printer	De La Rue
v t e

The Bank of England, which is now the central bank of the United Kingdom, British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, has issued banknotes since 1694. In 1921 the Bank of England gained a legal monopoly on the issue of banknotes in England and Wales, a process that started with the Bank Charter Act of 1844 when the ability of other banks to issue notes was restricted.

Banknotes were originally hand-written; although they were partially printed from 1725 onwards, cashiers still had to sign each note and make them payable to someone. Notes were fully printed from 1855. Since 1970, the Bank of England's notes have featured portraits of British historical figures.

Of the eight banks authorised to issue sterling notes in the UK, only the Bank of England can issue banknotes in England and Wales, where its notes are legal tender. Bank of England notes are not legal tender in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but are always accepted by traders.

The Bank of England now issues notes, all in polymer, in four denominations – £5, £10, £20 and £50.