Bank of England £5 note facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Five pounds

(United Kingdom)
Value	£5 sterling
Width	125 mm
Height	65 mm
Security features	See-through window with Queen's portrait, The '£' symbol in the window changes from purple to green, finely detailed Elizabeth Tower metallic image which is gold on the front and silver on the back, circular green foil patch contains letters spelling, ‘BLENHEIM’, coloured border which changes from purple to green when the note is tilted, silver foil patch, microlettering, textured print, EURion constellations, holograms
Paper type	Polymer
Years of printing	1793–1944; 1945-1957; 1957-1963; 1963-1971; 1971-1990; 1990-2002; 2002-2016; 2016-present (current design)
Obverse
Design	Queen Elizabeth II
Design date	13 September 2016
Reverse
Design	Winston Churchill
Design date	13 September 2016

The Bank of England £5 note, often called a fiver, is a type of banknote used in the United Kingdom. It's the smallest paper money value that the Bank of England currently prints. In September 2016, a new plastic (called polymer) £5 note was released. It shows Queen Elizabeth II on the front and Winston Churchill on the back. The older paper note, which had Elizabeth Fry on the back, was slowly removed from use and stopped being valid money after May 5, 2017.

History of the £5 Note

When the £5 Note Started

The Bank of England first started printing five pound notes in 1793. This happened because there wasn't enough gold available. Before this, in 1759, the ten pound note was introduced for similar reasons during the Seven Years' War. The £5 note became the smallest value note until 1797. The very first notes were written by hand for specific people. They only had writing on one side, showing who it was for, the date, and the cashier's signature.

The 'Restriction Period' for Money

In 1797, Britain was at war with France. This caused people to worry and rush to banks to exchange their notes for gold. This is called a "bank run." The Bank of England ran out of gold. Because of this, the Bank had to stop giving out gold for notes. They also started printing £1 and £2 notes. This time was known as the 'restriction period' because exchanging notes for gold was stopped.

The restriction period ended in 1821. The government wanted to make sure the value of money was stable. So, Britain went back to the gold standard on May 1, 1821. This meant you could again exchange your banknotes for gold at the bank. From 1853, printed notes took over from handwritten ones. The promise "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of five pounds" was added. This promise is still on Bank of England notes today.

Changes to the £5 Note Design

A white £5 note, issued in 1935

Britain stopped using the gold standard in 1931. This meant banknotes could no longer be exchanged for gold. In 1945, a metal thread was added to the £5 note as a way to make it harder to copy.

From 1957, the old black and white notes were replaced with new notes printed on both sides. These first two-sided £5 notes were blue. They showed a picture of Britannia on the front and a lion on the back. In 1963, the notes changed again. This time, Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the front for the first time. Britannia moved to the back.

From 1971, the notes started featuring famous British people on the back. The first was the Duke of Wellington, a famous soldier. In 1990, the notes became multicoloured, mostly turquoise-blue. These notes showed George Stephenson, who helped build railways. They also had a new "windowed" metal thread. This thread looks like a broken line, but it becomes a solid line when you hold the note up to the light.

Moving to Plastic Notes

In 2013, the Bank of England announced a big change. The next £5 note would feature Winston Churchill instead of Elizabeth Fry. They also said the new notes would be made of polymer, a type of plastic, instead of cotton paper. The Bank explained that plastic notes would be cleaner, safer from fakes, and last much longer. They also said plastic notes were better for the environment.

The new plastic £5 note was released on September 13, 2016. For a while, both the old paper notes and the new plastic notes were valid. But on May 5, 2017, the old paper notes stopped being legal money. However, you can still exchange any old Bank of England notes for their value at the Bank of England itself.

Designs of the £5 Note

Past and Present £5 Note Designs

The £5 Note You See Today

The Series G (polymer) note is the only £5 note that is currently valid money. The older paper Series E notes were taken out of use after a period where both types were accepted. This period ended on May 5, 2017.

How Many £5 Notes Are Used?

The Bank of England is in charge of printing and giving out notes. This makes sure there's enough money for everyone in the United Kingdom. They keep track of how many notes are being used at any time. The number of £5 notes in use was highest in 1979. This was before the £50 note was brought back into use.

See also

• Bank of England note issues