<Tr> <Th> Design </Th> <Td> Winston Churchill </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Design date </Th> <Td> 13 September 2016 </Td> </Tr> <P> The Bank of England £ 5 note, also known as a fiver, is a banknote of the pound sterling . It is the smallest denomination of banknote issued by the Bank of England . In September 2016, a new polymer note was introduced, featuring the image of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and a portrait of Winston Churchill on the reverse . The old paper note, first issued in 2002 and bearing the image of prison reformer Elizabeth Fry on the reverse, was phased out and ceased to be legal tender after 5 May 2017 . </P> <P> Five pound notes (£ 5) were introduced by the Bank of England in 1793, following the ten pound note which had been introduced in 1759 as a consequence of gold shortages caused by the Seven Years' War . The 5 pound note was introduced again, due to gold shortages caused by the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and was the lowest denomination of note issued until 1797 . The earliest notes were handwritten and were issued to individuals as needed . These notes were written on one side only and bore the name of the payee, the date and the signature of the issuing cashier . </P>

When did old £5 go out of circulation