Our Cast Iron Mystery Machine

This had been an unidentifiable item in our display for well over a decade.
A piece of antique machinery from around the second half of the 19th century.

Our antique Mystery Machine is made of cast iron, stands about 4'6" (140cm) tall, about 3' (approx 90 cm) wide.
There is a wheel on either side at the top.

Two people can be operating the machine,
we are not sure if it was necessary or convenience, as the handles on the sides are removable.

A pulley wheel at the top connected to a worm gear at the bottom
that runs the ring gear which turns a barrel or a block of timber.

The barrel or block of timber is held in place at the base
and has a wheel about 3" in diameter fixed at each corner about 2" from the base as a guide while it turns.

While you are turning the wheel and the barrel is moving there are 7 chopping blades in a fixed position - like two bricks.

The blades go up and down, their depth of movement is only about 7 inches.

This piece of history has Sheffield cast into one side and the name
"T. NEWTON" on the other.

Over the years our Mystery Machine has been featured in the Northern Star, once, our local regional paper & The Land Newspaper. We have communicated with the Powerhouse Museum, and the University of Engineering Sheffield, England.

There has also been information, pictures and a request for help sent to:
"Can We Help" and "Collectors" ABC television,
but no one has been able to yet identify this fabulous piece of antique engineering history.

After years of research by some interested sleuthing customers and us, we believe it is an 'Meat Chopping Machine'.

The Gundagai Museum has a similar machine:

Our 'Mystery Machine' is also pictured on
Grace's Guide To British Industrial History, the leading source of historical information
on industry and manufacturing in Britain.
This web publication contains 156,023 pages of information
and 241,416 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

One of our amazing sleuth customers, Chris, sent us this photo of a similar type of machine he found on the web,
An old butchers workshop in and old hospital in Germany.

Photo credit details:
https://www.deviantart.com/damn91/art/Butcher-Equipment-HDR-384222073

These are adverts for similar types of machines found during research:

Photo credit: Grace's Guide To British Industrial History