Alexander McQueen, Beatrix Potter and Charles Rennie Mackintosh among 21,000 nominations to be face of £20 note
Among 21,000 nominations to decide the face of the new £20 note are fashion designer Alexander McQueen, sculptor Barbara Hepworth, architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and author Beatrix Potter.
Nominees had to come from the world of the visual arts and no longer be alive.
Upon closing the two-month public consultation, The Bank of England revealed there has been a “varied list” and it’s currently “to difficult to say” who might be the frontrunners.
However, it will be judged on the strength of the nominees’ contribution, as opposed to how many times they were nominated.
The decision to open it up to the public comes after the Bank of England faced criticism for plans to replace Elizabeth Fry with Sir Winston Churchill on new £5 notes.
Chief cashier Victoria Cleland told BBC Breakfast that the controversy help the Bank realise how much people care about bank notes.
“We all have got them in our wallets and purses. We thought that if the public care this much we should let them have a say,” she said.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will make the final decision with the note to enter circulation within the next three to five years.