GRADE TWO-LISTING FOR WORLD’S FIRST ATM

[ THE BARCLAYS BANK in the London suburb of Enfield has been listed at Grade Two by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice of Historic England.

It was the first bank in the world to be fitted with an automated teller machine (ATM) to dispense cash directly to the customer. Its official opening on 27 June 1967 by the actor and comedian Reg Varney drew crowds of spectators. A red brick building on the corner of a busy high street, it has stone dressings and prominent gables and is topped by a decorative cupola and a small spire. The ground floor is built from stone.

The prototype machine functioned differently to today’s cash machines. The customer inserted a special paper voucher like a cheque that was punched with dots corresponding to the customer’s four-digit PIN. Both a signature and PIN were needed for authentication and if they matched a £10 note was issued. It was a major technological development in both banking practice and the growing use of automation within modern society. q