Concrete Block

I have moved into a new house which was built in 1950. There is a concrete block in the garage which doubls as a laundry. There was a washing machine here when we bought the house that was sitting over 2 threaded rods 100mm high. Has anyone any ideas what a cement block like this might have been for? Someone said it might have been for a fired hot water system, there is a large copper tank in the ceiling above.
My second question if anyone knows what it may have been is "can I remove it as my wife is only short and she has a hard time seeing and reaching into the washing machine?"

The block was probably for a 'copper' - or gas fired water boiler/clothes washing device - bane of many a housewife but good for boiling Xmas puddings.

If its not obviously holding anything up, of course you can remove it - the house isn't likely to be heritage listed is it? You will have to decide on how much you want to remove, dispose of the chunky bits & then re-fill the hole & concrete over to match the rest of the floor. If its got 2 threaded rods sticking out of it, that doesn't sound very 1950's, more 1980's to me.

That's what I was hoping for, it isn't using the available space very well so it has to go...