Bank of England unveils Jane Austen 10-pound note

On the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney unveiled the design of the new £10 note featuring the author. 

The note is printed on polymer and is the first

Bank of England banknote with a tactile feature to help blind and partially sighted users. 

As it is made of polymer, the new £10 note is cleaner, safer and stronger, according to a news release.

The new tactile feature on this note is a series of raised dots in the top left-hand corner and has been developed in conjunction with the RNIB. 

The new note will be issued Sept. 14 and the public will begin to see them in the following days and weeks as the notes leave cash centers around England and enter general circulation.

The public can continue to spend paper £10 notes as usual and these will be gradually withdrawn as they are banked by retailers and the public.

The legal tender status of the paper £10 featuring Charles Darwin will be withdrawn next spring. 

Speaking at Winchester Cathedral, the resting place of Jane Austen, the governor said: “Our banknotes serve as repositories of the country’s collective memory, promoting awareness of the United Kingdom’s glorious history and highlighting the contributions of its greatest citizens."

He continued, "The new £10 note celebrates Jane Austen’s work. Austen’s novels have a universal appeal and speak as powerfully today as they did when they were first published."

The design includes:

•  The quote “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!” from Pride and Prejudice. (Miss Bingley, Chapter XI).

•  A portrait of Jane Austen. It is from an engraving by William Home Lizars that was commissioned by her family and based upon an original sketch of Jane Austen drawn by her sister, Cassandra Austen.

•  An illustration of Miss Elizabeth Bennet undertaking “The examination of all the letters which Jane had written to her."

•  The image of Godmersham Park, the home of Edward Austen Knight, Jane Austen's brother. Jane Austen visited the house often and it is believed that it was the inspiration for a number of her novels.

•  Jane Austen’s writing table — the central design in the background is inspired by the 12-sided and writing quills, used by Jane Austen at Chawton Cottage.