Mark Carney: Opening remarks at the £10 note launch

Opening remarks by Mr Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the Financial Stability Board, at the £10 note launch, Winchester Cathedral, Winchester, 18 July 2017.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and not the view of the BIS.

Central bank speech  | 
24 July 2017

I would like to express my gratitude to Dean Catherine Ogle for her generosity in hosting this event in the magnificent Winchester Cathedral.

There can be no better place to unveil the new £10 banknote, featuring Jane Austen, and there can be no better time than today, the 200th anniversary of her death.  This building, admired by Austen herself, commemorates her legacy and has become a place of pilgrimage for her admirers.  The inscription on her grave, in the north aisle of the Nave of the Cathedral, attests to her character: "The benevolence of her heart, the sweetness of her temper, and the extraordinary endowments of her mind obtained the regard of all who knew her and the warmest love of her intimate connections". A brass plaque on the wall alongside recognises her many writings. And the memorial window above them all, paid for by public subscription, testifies to the popularity and enduring appeal of her work. An appeal which draws a regular procession of tourists from all over the world.