One of Monmouthshire’s most iconic historical monuments is to be referenced on the new £20 note.

A Tintern Abbey inspired design will be a minor feature on the note, which will be the latest in the line of new polymer currency.

The abbey will not be featured in its entirety. Despite its famous profile and being one of the most photographed buildings in the county, only a design inspired by the abbey’s east window will make it onto the note.

The note features two transparent windows and a two-colour foil designed to make the note more difficult to counterfeit. Rather than being solely a security feature, the window design was incorporated into the transparent part of the note.

The £20 features the English romantic painter and printmaker JMW Turner who sketched the abbey in 1794 from the perspective looking out of the east window facing England.

The window design featured on the note is not an exact copy of a Tintern Abbey window, but looks to be inspired from the various designs from the rear and sides of the building, the perspective seen from Turner’s watercolour painting.

The window on which the design is based is particularly noticeable from the natural overlook known as the Devil’s Pulpit, from which, according to legend, the devil would preach to the monks and occupants of the abbey below.

It is said that money is the root of all evil, perhaps the window design being seen most clearly from the Devil’s Pulpit is an unwitting testament.

On 10th October, Bank of England governor Mark Carney unveiled the design of the new £20 note featuring the artist JMW Turner’s self-portrait currently on display in Tate Britain.

The polymer £20 note contains sophisticated security features making it the most secure Bank of England banknote yet.

Polymer notes last longer than paper notes and they stay in better condition during day-to-day use. This note, like the polymer £10, will contain a tactile feature to help visually impaired people identify the denomination.

The polymer £20 note will join the Churchill £5 and the Austen £10. A new £50 note, featuring Alan Turing, will follow in 2021. The new £20 note will be the first to feature the signature of Sarah John, the bank’s chief cashier.

The public will begin to see the new £20 from 20th February next year as the notes leave cash centres and enters circulation. The public can continue to spend paper notes as usual and these will be gradually withdrawn over time.