Clydesdale Bank celebrates Forth Bridge World Heritage status

8th July 2015

Clydesdale Bank is celebrating the Forth Bridge’s new UNESCO World Heritage List status by announcing plans to begin full production of its new polymer £5 notes.

A limited edition of the commemorative polymer notes, featuring the famous Forth Bridge and its engineer Sir William Arrol, entered circulation earlier this year as part of the Bank’s support for the World Heritage List bid.

To date, £10 million of the polymer notes have entered circulation. The move to full production means all of Clydesdale Bank’s paper £5 notes will now be replaced with polymer £5 notes later in 2016.

UNESCO announced this week that the Forth Bridge had been awarded World Heritage List status joining the likes of the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and the Pyramid Fields of Egypt.

David Duffy, Chief Executive of Clydesdale Bank, said: “It’s fantastic to see the Forth Bridge recognised on a global scale. It’s an incredible feat of Victorian engineering, a Scottish - and now internationally recognised - icon.

“On behalf of Clydesdale Bank, I want to congratulate the Forth Bridge Forum on their successful nomination.

“In celebration of the bridge’s heritage status, we will be introducing around £40 million of polymer £5 notes into circulation.”

The bridge has become Scotland’s sixth World Heritage Site and the second such site to be featured on a Clydesdale Bank £5 note.

The first fully polymer banknotes to enter circulation in Great Britain are made of a more durable material than existing paper notes.

Clydesdale Bank is the largest issuer by volume of notes in Scotland and, earlier this year, reached the milestone of having more than £2bn worth of notes in circulation on a single day.