New £20 note enters circulation today

Turner became known as “the painter of light” and had a keen interest in depicting nature such as extreme weather conditions and the violent power of the sea.

His self-portrait, which is currently on display in Tate Britain, features on the banknote – as does one of his most celebrated paintings, The Fighting Temeraire.

Laid end to end, two billion polymer £20 notes would stretch around the world almost seven times and weigh the equivalent of more than 141 double-decker buses.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said: “Our banknotes celebrate the UK’s extraordinarily rich and diverse heritage and highlight the contributions of its greatest citizens. Turner’s art was transformative.

“I am delighted that the work of arguably the single-most influential British artist of all time will now appear on another two billion works of art – the new £20 notes that people can start using today.”