Both my HMV X and XI (library bijou grands) have a door at the rear, as does the machine linked here viewtopic.php?f=11&t=47339&p=280405&hil ... nd#p280405TinfoilPhono wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:04 am The Edison Amberola 1A has a rear door behind the motor, and that dates to 1909.
If I remember correctly, so did the earlier HMV Chippendale and Sheridan cabinets, so it was probably fairly common on better pre WWI machines with casters which weren't necessarily designed to be placed against a wall or in a corner and never moved.