The mystery machine

“We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams.”
- HG Wells

BCer Emiline is perplexed:

This device has been tickling our imagination. What is it? Why is it there? And how long has it been there? Is it a tarmac laying device used by a local resident of Braxfield Road who since has retired? Is it the purchase of a man in mid-life crisis whose wife can't stand his compulsive eBay clicking, therefore moving the device to Braxfield Road in the middle of the night? Please, Brockley Central, tell us the truth, the whole truth behind this strange device.

If it's your machine or you know its story, please help her.