why-was-london-s-first-cash-machine-in-enfield-1

On June 27, 1967, the world's first ATM is installed in Enfield, London.
From the article:
"All the same on 27 June 1967, a small crowd was forming outside a branch of Barclays, where Varney, dressed in cardigan, slacks, shiny tie and golfing hat, was about to feed a paper cheque (these pre-dated the plastic card) into an strange machine and take out the maximum amount allowed: £10.

Here was another strange thing though: that machine was on Enfield High Street.

The US wouldn't unveil its first ATM for another two years (they'd obviously prioritised putting a man on the moon) and the same went for the Australians (their Chubb cash machines didn't instantly hand back the card — it was posted to you). Here was a chance for the Brits to give their technological know-how a twirl, so surely it'd have been better to demonstrate the cash machine in Leicester Square, with, say, Michael Caine punching in his four digits?

It turns out Barclays had its reasons. For the location, at least.

"Enfield was chosen as it had a model cross-section community, was fairly self-contained and had sufficiently high enough windows and enough space inside for the safe," Barclays tell us.

Quite what's meant by 'model cross-section community' and why that's important for a cash machine, isn't clear. The 'windows' logic seems feasible even though there must be banks all over London with high ones.

Truth is, the bank probably didn't want too many people fiddling with their latest toy, not before it had been properly tested out. And it's easier to sweep something under the carpet if it's in Enfield, rather than Westminster."