Dalya Alberge
Mon, 10 April 2023
Comedian Reg Varney examines a bank note as he officially opens the world's first ATM in June 1967 - Mirrorpix
Just as high street banks and cash machines are being closed across Britain to the despair of customers, one branch is literally being consigned to history - with an extraordinary heritage listing.
Historic England has added a Barclays bank in the London suburb of Enfield to its National Heritage List for England, a unique register of the country's most significant historic buildings and sites, it will be announced today.
The Grade II listing recognises that it was the first bank in the world to be fitted with an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), while also acknowledging the building’s architectural interest.
Although the branch is still trading, its customers may be concerned by a sentence on Historic England’s website about its register, which notes: “The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.”
As the Telegraph reported in January, Barclays have closed nearly a thousand branches since 2015. Having been a familiar sight on Britain’s high streets for centuries, it has shut more branches than any other bank.
Last September another report warned that more than 37,000 free-to-use machines were at risk of closure.
The bank, in Enfield, London, was built in 1897 and opened the world's first ATM 70 years later
- Chris Redgrave/Historic England Archive
Heritage listing 'ironic'
Simon Fell, the Conservative MP for Barrow and Furness, and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, told the Telegraph: “We see bank branches closing all around us, so this heritage listing is somewhat ironic. Banks certainly are part of our heritage.
“Some of the most beautiful buildings in my own constituency are former banks, now transformed into wine bars and cafes. Regeneration is all well and good, but we need to maintain the link between the high street and access to finance.’
He added: “Not everyone can go online and deal with an AI chatbot to have their query answered, and certainly people in a rush who are concerned about their mortgages and loans should not have to wait in an endless phone queue to speak to a call centre overseas.”
Peter Dowd, Labour MP for Bootle and former shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “I’m concerned about bank closures and what banks collectively might do to protect the service on the high street. The heritage listing is recognition of that building’s significance to the community. That is the irony.”
Simon Fell, the Conservative MP for Barrow and Furness, and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, told the Telegraph: “We see bank branches closing all around us, so this heritage listing is somewhat ironic. Banks certainly are part of our heritage.
“Some of the most beautiful buildings in my own constituency are former banks, now transformed into wine bars and cafes. Regeneration is all well and good, but we need to maintain the link between the high street and access to finance.’
He added: “Not everyone can go online and deal with an AI chatbot to have their query answered, and certainly people in a rush who are concerned about their mortgages and loans should not have to wait in an endless phone queue to speak to a call centre overseas.”
Peter Dowd, Labour MP for Bootle and former shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “I’m concerned about bank closures and what banks collectively might do to protect the service on the high street. The heritage listing is recognition of that building’s significance to the community. That is the irony.”
Crowds gather to catch a glimpse of the cash machine in action following its grand unveiling - Mirrorpix
The ATM at the bank was officially first opened in 1967 by the comedian Reg Varney. The machine issued a £10-note on receipt of a special paper voucher inserted by the customer.
Although the prototype device has long been removed, a commemorative plaque marks its original location at the site, which is located at 20 The Town in Enfield.
Historic England said: “[This was] a major technological development in both banking practice and the general automation within modern society and is of worldwide significance.”
The listing also recognises the building’s “historic and architectural” significance.
William Gilbee Scott’s purpose-built bank won an 1896 competition held for the new branch of the London and Provincial Bank, and was once described as an “exuberant Flemish Renaissance” by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner.
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