Quote from Steve on July 23, 2025, 8:56 am

Hi Glenn,

Park Smith was an early-ish Union postal historian with an interest in postmarks. The dealer who sold me  a postcard of his told me that Park Smith worked in the PR (Public Relations) Department of De Beers in Somerset West as suggested by the address. Somerset West and Stand are close by. He may have lived in the Strand. At one time he seems to have been a publicist for the Strand. I have a few of his items tucked away but I do not have them easily to hand, so don't hold your breath. I will post them when I find them.

I have searched the SAPC using 'Dynamite Factory' and found a reference to him there. (Searching on 'Park Smith' brings up too much non-related material.) Scroll down the link below to its bottom to see the 'Strand Publicity Association' material and Park Smith's cachet.

https://southafricanphilatelyclub.com/forum/topic/dynamite-factory-somerset-west

Please share your findings here, if any. I have long been intrigued by Park Smith.

Quote from Jamie Smith on July 23, 2025, 12:11 pm

I fed the name into ChatGPT (AI) and this was the answer.  I hope this helps.

Park Smith & Co The Strand C.P .

ChatGPT said:

I couldn’t find any clear references to "Park Smith & Co" at "The Strand C.P." Could you tell me a bit more about what you're looking for?

• Are you asking about a business—like a shop, cafe, or law/accounting firm—on The Strand (perhaps in London or elsewhere)?

• Or is "C.P." shorthand for something else (like “City Post”, “Court Practice”, or “Civil Parish”)?

• Any extra details—like the city, industry, or type of business—would help a lot.

Let me know what you’re aiming to find, and I’ll dig deeper!

 

Sources

You said:

All I know is that the company was in the Strand which was a town in the Cape Province of South Africa

ChatGPT said:

It appears that Park Smith & Co, also referred to as Park Smith Company, was associated with the Strand Municipal Market in Strand (formerly in the Cape Province, now Western Cape), South Africa. Historical archive images show the market façade bearing the "Park Smith Company" signage, indicating they were responsible for its design, construction, or management in.pinterest.com+1dk.pinterest.com+1.

Here’s what we know:

• The company is not widely documented in modern business directories, suggesting it may have either dissolved or merged long ago.

• Their main historical association is with the Strand Municipal Market building itself, which is part of Strand’s rich local heritage.

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🛠️ Research & Next Steps

If you're trying to learn more—whether for heritage research or genealogical interests—you could:

• Contact local archives in the Western Cape (such as the Strand Museum or Cape Town Archives Repository) and search under Strand Municipal Market or Park Smith.

• Check old municipal records from Strand (especially council or town planning files) that may mention the company when the market was commissioned.

• Explore heritage and local history books/websites focused on Strand and the Helderberg region, which might include architectural credits or civic profiles.

Would you like help locating specific archives or repository contacts for Strand? Or maybe assistance with finding local historians who could shed more light on early 20th-century companies like Park Smith Co?

Quote from Steve on July 23, 2025, 1:08 pm

Hi Jamie, nice try but the use of AI here is really not very useful. The problem is that while there is little on Park Smith in the public domain the AI bots have nothing to steal / learn from us. We will have to wait a few years for AI to have absorbed all our knowledgea by reading websites like ours to its best advantage. I have already read some AI generated advice on obscure subjects which read pretty much like it has been taken from this site or similar. Having said that, your AI did not find the Dynamite Factory article above which references Park Smith and the Strand. I wish I could copyright my / our knowledge but while websites gets trawled by AI bots and data exists not on our hard drives but on the cloud everything is up for grabs, including this moan! Still, I am very impressed, indeed even a bit shocked, by what AI can do to make our lives easier, like automate boring stuff like producing reports on Zoom or Committee meetings. My wife uses Grok to recommend books and videos based on others that she likes and so far she is pretty impressed with some of the suggestions. But this result is poor. The beast needs more data and training. Fear not - or fear a lot - it will one day know more than all of us put together. Now, who has a display on the 'Rise of the Machine"?

Quote from Jamie Smith on July 23, 2025, 1:38 pm

Sorry, I was just trying to help.  If you don't like AI phone them at the market I think their number is Strand, Tel. 0057.

 

Quote from Steve on July 23, 2025, 1:55 pm

I like your sense of humour. I apologise. The image you supply does add to our collective knowledge of Park Smith, 'Market and Commission Agents' of the Strand. I did not see this image because I did not click on the link. I would not have made my 'unhelpful' comment if I had done so and seen this first. My mistake. Sorry! Thank you, Jamie you have expanded my horizons. 

So, is 'Park Smith' a person or a company? I always thought it was a person, now I am not so sure.  See the cover below. The cachet says that Park Smith is an 'Aereo Philatelist', suggesting that 'Park Smith' is a prerson.

Quote from L1berty1775 on July 23, 2025, 2:24 pm

One of my postcards.

Quote from L1berty1775 on July 23, 2025, 2:26 pm

Ex

Quote from Jamie Smith on July 23, 2025, 2:27 pm

Not my area, More yours I think.  I know the Strand is at the top of the Bay and you are at the bottom but this may be 'False' information.

Jokes aside, I have worked with AI on my illustrations for my books and find if you treat it like an employee, and kick A&%$# they can be quite useful.

 

 

Quote from L1berty1775 on July 23, 2025, 2:28 pm

A recent find.