About the Company
Hartley Electromotives (often referenced in tape‑recorder summaries as Hartley Electromotive) was a small British electronics maker that did produce a reel‑to‑reel‑related tape device in the 1950s.
Hartley Electromotives Ltd. (trading as William Hartley & Co.), was a British firm based in Shrewsbury, UK, active in the 1950s and noted for a variety of electrical and mechanical products — including radio sets, “Baird” televisions, and audio equipment. The company also marketed a dictation‑style reel tape recorder system around 1954.
According to industry history listings, Hartley Electromotives produced the “Tape Riter,” a reel‑to‑reel audio recorder/transcription system used in business and office environments.
The Tape Riter (c. 1954)
Product Name: Tape Riter
Manufacturer: Hartley Electromotives Ltd., William Hartley & Co., Shrewsbury, UK
Apparent Introduction: circa 1954
Type: Audio tape recorder / dictation system
Format: Standard reel‑to‑reel magnetic tape (full‑size reels)
Electronics: Valve/tube‑based audio amplification (4 tubes noted in one example)
Application: Business dictation and transcription — where tapes recorded on one machine could be physically moved to another machine for typists to transcribe recordings
Design: Table model with integrated speaker and AC power, intended for office or workplace use rather than consumer hi‑fi playback
The Tape Riter appears to have been built on the same basic concept as early North American dictation machines (e.g., Permoflux Tape Riter models from the U.S. in the early 1950s), suggesting Hartley’s product was a local adaptation or licensed version for UK businesses.
Role in the Industry
Unlike mainstream audio reel‑to‑reel recorder manufacturers that developed broad product lines for consumers and professionals (e.g., Uher, Revox, TEAC), Hartley Electromotives does not have a documented range of consumer hi‑fi reel decks. It’s known mainly through:
Trade records and enthusiast listings mentioning the Tape Riter dictation model.
Historical industry entries describing the company’s broader business in electronics, including audio gear, but with no extensive catalog of tape decks beyond the dictation system.
This suggests Hartley’s involvement with reel tape technology was specialized and limited, geared primarily to commercial dictation/transcription rather than wide distribution to the consumer market.
Historical Context
In the early to mid‑1950s, magnetic tape recording was transitioning from professional broadcast and business use into home audio. Many small manufacturers and engineering firms experimented with tape technology for business dictation and telephone/message recording systems before the boom in consumer hi‑fi decks later in the decade and into the 1960s. Hartley Electromotives fit into that cohort — active in magnetic recording technology in a business context, but not a major long‑term reel deck brand.
Summary — Hartley Electromotives Reel Tape History
Name: Hartley Electromotives Ltd. (often identified as Hartley Electromotive in tape deck lists)
Country: United Kingdom
Era of Tape Product: circa 1954
Notable Product: Tape Riter — reel‑to‑reel dictation/transcription recorder
Market: Business/office use, not mainstream home consumer reel‑to‑reel decks
Technology: Tube‑based audio electronics typical of early magnetic recorders
Legacy: Historical footnote in early UK tape recorder development; limited product range and little consumer hi‑fi presence