Someone has attempted to erase the rather ugly scrawl in the middle with wire wool, or something scratchily similar.
Alternatively, restorer's wax polish (there are several proprietary brands available) also applied with very fine wire wool and then polished with a rag gives an excellent finish.
Scrub rusty grates with wire wool and give cast-iron surrounds a gloss with grate polish, available from hardware shops.
Always follow the provided instructions very carefully, leaving the chemical stripper for the stated time before removing with fine grade wire wool.
He used the wire wool scouring scrubbing pad that I use to clean the cooker.