Of good quality, this plain turning lathe is unusual in being a "front-way" type where the carriage, instead of being guided on the top face of the bed, uses the front face. In this respect it belongs to a select band of other such examples (mostly of the screwcutting type) that include, from America, the Rivett 608 and its immediate predecessor, the 8-inch Precision; various models by Wade, Nathan English and George Ballou; the very rare Pearce, made in New York; the Dwrite Slate and the production type Porter-Cable. From England came a very early example (preserved in the Science Museum) by the renowned Richard Roberts; the James Spencer and George Birch (both from Manchester), the Rolls Royce (a special, high-accuracy machine) and the well-known and beautifully made Japanese Toyo ML1 - which, like the Rolls-Royce, had carriage ways formed on both the front and back faces of its bed.
On the end face of a bed is a plate that proclaims "E.R.Watts & Son Ltd. Plant No. 834"
Probably constructed between 1880 and 1900, the lathe has a headstock that - in common with other light lathes of the time - had a flat front face and a spindle supported in a plain bearing at the front but with its rear supported against an adjustable, hardened centre (the latter feature surviving on some lathes until as late as the 1930s). The 'carriage" holds a compound slide rest mount on an elevating and swivelling post--though as the top slide can also be swivelled on the cross slide this might be considered an unnecessary luxury.
At the time micrometer dials on the slide-rest feed screws were not common and, instead of fixed handles, award-to-operate cranks were slipped onto their square ends..