Bank of England Houblon £50 Banknote Withdrawn

5th May 2014

The £50 banknote carrying the portrait of Sir John Houblon, the first Governor of the Bank of England, has been withdrawn from circulation as of 30 April 2014. This withdrawal was first announced on 16 January 2014.

From midnight on 30th April 2014, only the £50 note featuring Matthew Boulton and James Watt, introduced in November 2011, will hold legal tender status.

From 01 May 2014, general retailers are unlikely to accept the Houblon notes as payment. However, most banks and building societies will continue to accept them for deposit to customer accounts. Barclays, NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank and the Post Office have also agreed to exchange Houblon £50 notes for members of the public – up to the value of £200 – until 30 October 2014.

The Bank of England will continue to exchange Houblon £50 notes, as it would for any other Bank of England note which no longer has legal tender status.