Scottish £100 banknote among the world's 'most beautiful'

The Bank of Scotland note was first issued on 9 May 2022

A Scottish banknote that pays tribute to a medical pioneer has been named one of the world's most beautiful.

Dr Flora Murray, whose image appears on the £100 Bank of Scotland note, founded the Women's Hospital for Children in London and the Women's Hospital Corp.

Born in Dumfries in 1869, the medic received a CBE in recognition of her work during World War One.

Now the note bearing her image has finished third in a contest to find the world's most beautiful banknotes.

Dr Murray founded the Women's Hospital for Children in London in 1912 with her partner, Louisa Garrett-Anderson.

• The women who ran a World War One hospital

• Endell Street hospital's suffragette surgeons

It provided healthcare for the children of factory and shop workers, who were low paid so accessing health care was difficult.

When war broke out in 1914, they founded the Women's Hospital Corps, a feminist organisation, and opened two successful military hospitals in France, staffed entirely by female suffragettes.

In 1915, the British War Office provided them with a premises in London where they set up Endell Street Military Hospital, the first hospital in the UK established for men by female medical professionals.

Dr Flora Murray and female stretcher-bearers outside the Endell Street Hospital are shown on the back of the note

Jonathan Calloway, of the International Bank Note Society, said the note was unique.

"Flora Murray is known for her cultural and educational contributions rather than anything in the political world," he said.

"It is a brand new design, the colour combinations are very appealing, it's the security features - the beautiful hologram, the clear window."

Novelist Sir Walter Scott and an image of The Mound in the Edinburgh are featured on the front of the banknote.

It has a number of security features including a see-through window and a holographic foil strip which displays Dr Murray's image.

Each year the International Bank Note Society invites members in 60 countries to nominate newly-designed notes which have been issued in the previous calendar year.

A 1,000 Peso note by the Philippines Central Bank took the top spot this year, with a £50 Ulster Bank note being placed second.

A Bank of Scotland spokesperson said: "Bank of Scotland has issued bank notes showcasing our country's incredible history for more than 320 years and we've put the contribution of exceptional Scottish people into the spotlight too.

"We are so proud that our £100 polymer note commemorates the remarkable work of Dr Flora Murray who, alongside being a medical pioneer, spent her adult life fighting for women's rights as a suffragette."

Scotland has taken the crown before. In 2007, the Bank of Scotland's £50 banknote with images of Sir Walter Scott and the Falkirk Wheel won the award.