Wheel lathe, made by Hulse & Co., Manchester, c. early 20th century.

Most standard lathes have a headstock and a tailstock, and the workpiece is put between them so that it can be rotated. This lathe only has a headstock. It was probably used to work on the wheels of railway locomotives and carriages. The wheel would be bolted to the face of the headstock and this would rotate, so there was no need for a tailstock. The Hulse company was well-known for building extremely large lathes for industrial uses.