5 Pounds Sterling 1969, Guernsey
in Banknotes Book | Number: GU42b |
Years of issue: | 1969 |
Edition: | -- |
Signatures: | Treasurer: Mr. C.H. Hodder |
Serie: | No Serie |
Specimen of: | 1969 |
Material: | Cotton fiber |
Size (mm): | 145 x 85 |
Printer: | Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company Limited, New Malden |
* All pictures marked are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.

Description
Watermark:
The inscription: "States of Guernsey".
Avers:
The panel with Guernsey's coat of arms or emblem is on the right side.
The coat of arms of Guernsey is the official symbol of the Channel Island of Guernsey. It is a red shield with three gold lions (historically described as leopards) passant guardant surmounted by a small branch of leaves. It is very similar to the arms of Normandy, Jersey and England.
Denomination in numeral is on the left side. In words above.
Revers:
The view at Saint Peter Port harbour. This photo has been made back in 1960s.
Saint Peter Port Harbour is located in Saint Peter Port. It was a natural anchorage used by the Romans but it is now Guernsey's main port for passengers. However, a lot of cargo is shipped from St Sampson's harbour. Castle Cornet is on one of the breakwaters.
Saint Peter Port, French Saint-Pierre-Port - chief town, resort, parish, and capital of Guernsey, Channel Islands, located on the east coast of the island of Guernsey where a narrow valley reaches the sea between moderately high cliffs. Early in the XIII century, Castle Cornet was built on an offshore tidal islet, reinforced later with La Tour Beauregard on the main shore to protect the roadstead.
The Anglo-Gascon wine trade was then developing, and the existence of well-protected anchorage, together with Guernsey’s position on the English Channel near the route of medieval shipping, meant that St. Peter Port was used increasingly as a refuge and port of call. Late in the XIII century a quay was built, and in 1309 the island’s chief market was moved to St. Peter Port. The quay was extended in the XVI century, a second arm was built in the XVIII, and the present harbour was constructed between 1853 and 1874.
A charter (c. 1048) refers to St. Peter’s, the town’s ancient church, which preserves a variety of XIII-century styles. Other notable buildings are the Royal Court House (1799), the Markets (1822), Elizabeth College (1826; founded 1563), the Constables’ Office, and the Priaulx Library. Hauteville House, former residence (1856-70) of Victor Hugo, now belongs to the city of Paris, France. (www.britannica.com)
The view at St Peter Port Parish Church (The town church).
The Parish Church of St Peter Port, usually referred to as the Town Church and also informally known as the cathedral of the Islands, was first referred to in Norman times. The church is built of granite and originally served as a fortress. The present steeple dates from 1721, though there are parts of the existing church that date back to the XIII and XIV centuries (nave and choir respectively). Extensive restoration took place in the XIX century, and some of the stained glass dates back to this time. However, most of the stained glass windows were blown out during World War II when the Allies bombed the harbour, mistakenly believing that there was a German submarine there. The small windows at the top withstood the blast and so they remained the Victorian originals, but most of the larger pieces of glass lower down are post-war in vintage.
The church: As the unofficial cathedral of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the church is something of a must-see for many of the thousands of tourists who visit Guernsey each year. Unfortunately, due to the lack of an online presence, it has been difficult to find much information about the church as a community, although it would appear that music plays an important role in the life of the church. The Town Church is right by the harbour and a focal point in the town. (www.ship-of-fools.com)
To the left of church is the monument to prince Albert, Saint Peter Port harbour.
Made by sculptor Joseph Durham (1814-1877). Built in 1863.
Material: Bronze on a granite pedestal.
Standing overlooking the harbour, St Peter Port, Guernsey.
The base is inscribed: "J. DURHAM SC 1863 LONDON."
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel, later The Prince Consort; 26 August 1819 - 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria.
He was born in the Saxon duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld to a family connected to many of Europe's ruling monarchs. At the age of 20 he married his first cousin, Queen Victoria, with whom he would ultimately have nine children. At first, Albert felt constrained by his position as consort, which did not confer any power or duties upon him. Over time he adopted many public causes, such as educational reform and a worldwide abolition of slavery, and took on the responsibilities of running the Queen's household, estates and office. He was heavily involved with the organization of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Albert aided in the development of Britain's constitutional monarchy by persuading his wife to show less partisanship in her dealings with Parliament, although he actively disagreed with the interventionist foreign policy pursued during Lord Palmerston's tenure as Foreign Secretary.
He died at the early age of 42, plunging the Queen into a deep mourning that lasted for the rest of her life. Upon Queen Victoria's death in 1901, their eldest son, Edward VII, succeeded as the first British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, named after the ducal house to which Albert belonged.
To the right of church is "The Albion Tavern".
Situated on the waterfront next to Guernsey's Town Church, the Albion Tavern overlooks the harbour and is the closest Public House to a church in the British Isles.
The Albion Tavern has three separate bars which welcome visiting yachtsmen, locals and tourists alike, each with its own individual style. The two ground floor bars are themed complementing the harbour side location.
On the first floor is the sports bar, showing major televised sporting events and a private room with its own bar available for parties and functions. (www.liberationgroup.com)
I was interested to determine, at least approximately, the model of car or van (standing on the dock, the last) and the one, on the road, in front of Albion House. On this occasion were designated two versions:
On banknote is "Citroen 2CV AK 350", van (in front of Albion House - because there is no window leaf depicted) were assembled in UK, in 1963 or 1961, in Slough (a town in Berkshire, England, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of central London. It is bisected by the A4 and the Great Western Main Line. In 2011, the population of Slough was 140,200 and the most ethnically diverse outside London in the United Kingdom with the highest proportion of religious adherents in England. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, Slough is home to the Slough Trading Estate, the largest industrial estate in single private ownership in Europe).
On the website of Citroen in UK - www.citroenet.org.uk are showed all modifications of this car, assembled in Slough.
The 2 CV AU Fourgonette made its debut in 1951. It was originally intended to fit the van with a 425 cm3 engine but Citroën's management vetoed this because it was felt that people would soup up the 2 CV saloon. The AU was therefore equipped with the 375 cm3 engine but employed a different final drive - 7 x 31 instead of 8 x 31. Tyres were 135 x 400 Michelin Pilote instead of 125 x 400.
Top speed was only 60 kph/27 mph but it had a 250 kg payload and soon became the preferred transport of most small entrepreneurs and artisans.
Mechanical changes broadly reflected those of the saloons - the 425 cm3 engine being fitted in 1955 when the model designation became AZU.
In 1963, the AZU received the 18 bhp engine fitted to the saloons and the corrugations on the upper side panels were removed to facilitate sign writing and doors became front hinged.
The Citroën 2CV (French: "deux chevaux" i.e. "deux chevaux-vapeur" (lit. "two steam horses"), "two tax horsepower") is a front-engine, front wheel drive, air-cooled economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948-1990.
Conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorize the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV is noted for its minimalist combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork — initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured a low purchase cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9 hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long travel suspension offering a soft ride, light off-road capability, high ground clearance, and height adjustability via lengthening/shortening of tie rods. Often called "an umbrella on wheels", the bodywork featured a distinctive and prominent full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper, covering its trunk.
The 2CV was one of the first vehicles equipped with the newly developed radial tire.
Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and its final two years in Portugal 1989-1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as Fourgonnettes. Citroën ultimately offered a number of mechanically identical variants including the Ami (over 1.8 million); the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroën manufactured over 8.8 million "A Series" cars, as 2CV variants are known.
A 1953 technical review in Autocar described "the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford". In 2011, The Globe and Mail called it a "car like no other". Noted automotive author L. J. K. Setright described the 2CV as "the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car", calling it a car of "remorseless rationality".
Version number 2:
This version looks more similar to the car, standing at the dock, because there is window leaf depicted.
On banknote is "Austin A35", assembled in 1963 or 1964.
The Austin A35 is a small family car that was sold by Austin from 1956 until 1968. 280,897 A35s of all types were produced.
Introduced in 1956, it replaced the highly successful Austin A30. The name reflected the larger and more powerful 34 hp (25 kW) A-Series inline-four engine, enabling a slightly higher top speed and better acceleration.
The A35 was very similar in appearance to the A30, except for a larger rear window aperture and a painted front grille, with chrome horse-shoe surround, instead of the chrome grille featured on the A30. Both had 13 in (330 mm) wheels. The semaphore turn-signal indicators were replaced with present-day front- and rear-mounted flashing lights. A slightly easier to operate remote-control gear-change was provided. Much of the improved performance was a result of different gearbox ratios. The A30 had the first three ratios close together then a big gap to top (fourth gear). The A35 ratios were better spaced and gave a higher speed in third gear.
Like the A30, the A35 was offered as a two- or four-door saloon or two-door "Countryman" estate and also as a van. The latter model continued in production through to 1968. A rare coupe utility (pickup) version was also produced in 1956, with just 477 sold. Drawings were made for a sports tourer, but no prototype was actually built.
A two-door de luxe saloon with the 948 cc engine was tested by the British Motor magazine in 1956 and was found to have a top speed of 71.9 mph (115.7 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 30.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of 41.5 miles per imperial gallon (6.81 L/100 km; 34.6 mpg-US) was recorded.
Referring to the A35, from Staton Abbey (1969). The Book of the Austin A30 and A35. Pitman Press: pp 148.
"....The new cars were thoroughly proved by tests carried out on the German autobahnen, during which drivers of much larger cars were astonished to be passed by three small Austins which were being driven flat out all day, averaging 60 m.p.h. for 25000 miles!......"
".....a privately-owned works-tuned A35 was driven for seven days around the Montlhery track, near Paris, in a record-breaking run at an average speed of 75 m.p.h., covering nearly 12500 miles...."
With standard fit of drums all round, in both the A30 and the A35, the front hydraulic with rear hydro-mechanical brakes (the hydraulics acted upon the hand brake at the rear) needed regular adjustment to keep the stopping distances reasonably short.
The A35 was quite successful in 1950s saloon car racing, until supplanted by the Farina A40, and some still appear in historic events.
The last two pictures of beautiful green Austin A35 were taken by me from this site A classic British car club.
Against the background of the Parish Church of St. Peter Port is visible kiosk labeled "HERM" - this kiosk was selling tickets for a ferry line to the island Herm (Guernsey).
On banknote, near the dock, in Saint Peter Port harbour, are standing three boats, belonging to the Herm Express Ferries: Capwood (the first boat), Fermain (second boat) and, presumably, Mainland (third boat).
During the fifties the Herm run was up and coming with as many as eight individuals each owning one or two Boats and competing for trade and space on the slipways and steps of St Peter Port Harbour. Getting people back from Herm's small harbour in the afternoon must have been absolute chaos.
By this time the combine had been formed, five of the owners had got together combining their efforts and sharing the proceeds. There were now only three companies competing i.e.
"Newton", with Vessels named "Martha Gun" and "Clacton Gazelle".
"The Combine", with Vessels named: "Capwood", "Maywood", "Skylark", "Isle of Herm", "Lady June", "Highland Laddie", "White heather" and "Bounty".
"Masterton", with two fast Boats "Spring Flight One" и "Spring Flight Two".
"Munson Herm Ferry" with the "Typhoon" was now running to the Island of Jetho..
The business was in its Hey day, with the Tourist trade in Guernsey at its peak. People were forming long Queues along the sea front in order to catch the Ferries.
In the late sixties a new company started up with two eighty plus seater vessels - "Herm Express Ferries", with "Silouette" and "Alouette".
"The Combine" built three purpose designed Boats, "Island Queen" 76 seats, "Lady Dorothy" 96 seats, and "The Herm Clipper" 100 seats.
"Newton" built "Newton Gazelle" with 100 seats.
"Ron Monson" built "Harpoon" on 77 seats.
On further development of ferry services in Guernsey please, read and see here (channelislandsshipping.je)
Denominations in numeral are in top corners, in words in lower right corner.
Comments:
Security strip.
The pound is the currency of Guernsey. Since 1921, Guernsey has been in currency union with the United Kingdom and the Guernsey pound is not a separate currency but is a local issue of banknotes and coins denominated in pound sterling, in a similar way to the banknotes issued in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It can be exchanged at par with other sterling coinage and notes.
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