Turner, paintings and polymer

Explore the museum outside the usual opening hours. Listen to one of the free talks, which celebrate JMW Turner and the new £20 note.

6pm - Exploring the new £20 note

Talk by Bank of England Chief Cashier, Sarah John

The artist JMW Turner is on the UK’s new £20 note. Sarah talks about the design and features of the Bank of England’s most secure note yet.

7pm - Towing the Temeraire

Talk by Dr Pieter van der Merwe, Chairman of the Turner Society and Greenwich Curator Emeritus, National Maritime Museum (Royal Museums Greenwich)

Pieter outlines the history of HMS Temeraire, which played a famous part at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He also reveals how the ship became the subject of Turner’s celebrated painting ‘The Fighting Temeraire’, which features on the new £20 note.

Banknotes and bullion

As you go round the museum you can chat to our banknote designers. They can tell you about how our notes are made and will be ready to answer your questions.

You’ll get the chance to speak to our Gold Bullion team who look after gold bars worth billions of pounds. These bars are kept in secure underground vaults beneath the Bank of England.

What you need to know

The event and talks are free

Spaces for each talk are limited. You will need to get a ticket from our information desk 30 minutes before each talk starts.

We want as many people to enjoy the sessions as possible. So if you get a ticket for Sarah’s talk, we cannot offer you a ticket for Pieter’s talk unless there are any spare.

Please arrive at 5.30pm (for the 6pm talk) and by 6.30pm (for the 7pm talk).

Talks last about 30 minutes.