Jane Austen appears on new £10 note being issued in September

The note, printed on polymer, features Jane Austen and was undeiled by the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney on the 200th anniversary of her death.

It is the Bank's first note with a tactile feature to help blind and partially sighted users.

It is cleaner, safer and stronger than its predesessors.

A new £20 note featuring the artist J.M.W. Turner will follow in 2020.

The £10 note contains sophisticated security features which make it very difficult to counterfeit.

It is expected to last at least 2.5 times longer than the current paper £10 notes – around five years in total – and stay in better condition during day to day use.

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.

This is in addition to the elements already incorporated in Bank of England banknotes for vision impaired people - tiered sizing, bold numerals, raised print and differing colour palettes.

The new tenner will be issued on September 14 and the public will begin to see them in the following days and weeks as the notes leave cash centres around the country 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The public can continue to spend paper £10 notes as usual and these will be gradually withdrawn as they are banked by retailers and the public.

Legal tender status of the paper £10 featuring Charles Darwin will be withdrawn in spring 2018 with the exact date being announced at least three months in advance.

Security features on the new £10 note include:

• A see-through window featuring the Queen’s portrait.
• Winchester Cathedral shown in gold foil on the front of the note and silver on the back.
• A quill at the side of the window which changes from purple to orange.
• A hologram which contains the word ‘Ten’ and changes to ‘Pounds’ when the note is tilted.
• A hologram of the coronation crown which appears 3D and multi-coloured when the note is tilted.
• A book-shaped copper foil patch which contains the letter JA.
• Micro-lettering beneath the Queen’s portrait with tiny letters and numbers that are visible under a microscope.
• The words ‘Bank of England’ printed in intaglio (raised ink) along the top of the note.

The design includes:

• The quote – “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!” from Pride and Prejudice (Miss Bingley, Chapter XI).
• Portrait of Jane Austen. 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”– from a drawing by Isabel Bishop (1902-1988).
• The image of Godmersham Park. Godmersham was 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 writing table, and writing quills, used by Jane Austen at Chawton Cottage.