Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has unveiled the design of its new polymer £10 note featuring the world-renowned author, Jane Austen, on the 200th anniversary of her death.

£10 note 2 £10 note 2

The note will be issued on September 14. It is the first Bank of England banknote with a tactile feature to help blind and partially sighted users identify it. This is a series of raised dots in the top left-hand corner and has been developed in conjunction with the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

It is expected to last 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. It joins the Churchill £5 note in the first family of polymer Bank of England banknotes, with a new £20 note featuring the well-known British landscape painter, JMW Turner, set to follow in 2020.

Legal tender status of the paper £10 featuring Charles Darwin will be withdrawn in spring 2018 with the exact date being announced at least three months in advance.

Speaking at Winchester Cathedral, the resting place of Jane Austen, Carney 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. 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.”