For those who take their daily stroll along Beach Road, stop to watch the waves or simply enjoy the fresh sea air, there is now another reason to pause – a lovingly restored postbox that has traded its days of holding letters for a new life as Strand’s second street library.

Beach Road residents Geoff and Janet Burton are the husband-and-wife team behind the initiative.

The couple, who live in an apartment building towards the Greenways end of Beach Road, have long been admirers of the original Strand street library near the Brasserie, stopping to browse, leaving books and taking books over time.

It was on their walks home that they began noticing a neglected, rusted postbox with sand and stones piled up behind it. The seed of an idea was planted. “It’s taken us from July last year, when we saw the first one, until now to think – okay, we could do this,” said Geoff.

He reached out to Leslie and Sanette Thiart, the champions of the original street library, who guided them through the process of obtaining the necessary approvals from the post office to restore and repurpose the box.

The postbox itself, it turned out, has stood on Beach Road for decades – a fact confirmed by a former postal worker who stopped to chat while Geoff was busy painting it.

“One of the most interesting discussions I had the week before last, while finishing off the painting, was with a man who walked past and said he used to be employed by the post office and collect post from this very box,” said Geoff. “He said it has been here since 1963. He used to collect from it, get on his bike and take it back to the post office. That was quite nice.”

Two libraries, one community

As previously reported, the original Strand street library, also a restored postbox on Beach Road, has become a beloved fixture of the seaside neighbourhood since its launch last year (“Street literary gem”, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 18 February). Rather than competition, Geoff sees the two as natural companions.

“I think the two libraries are sufficiently far apart that they don’t impact on each other. We are happy to share books – it doesn’t matter whether somebody takes from one and replaces it at the other,” he said. “It wasn’t so much that there was a specific gap we felt we needed to fill, but at this end of Beach Road, with all the construction going on, the promenade is going to be done within the next six months. We thought it would be a nice feature on this newly developed promenade and street area.”

The response from those living nearby has reinforced that instinct. While renovating the postbox, Geoff was regularly approached by residents from the surrounding apartment buildings and further along Beach Road. “They’re very keen and enthusiastic to see the library working and have already offered to bring books,” he said.

Within days of posting about the library on Facebook, almost 2 000 people reacted with thumbs up, applause or messages of appreciation. A handful of sceptics raised concerns about theft or vandalism, but Geoff remains unfazed. “There’s no reason to think that’s going to be the case. The other one has been around for almost a year now. We tend to look on the positive side of things.”

The content, Geoff said, will vary depending on what people leave. “English and Afrikaans, fiction, non-fiction and children’s books are all welcome. Whatever the mix, it will largely define who the users are, though most are likely to be adults.”

Day-to-day management falls to Geoff and Janet, who keep a quiet eye on their new neighbourhood fixture. “I just go down, top up the books and tidy them up if they’re in a bit of disarray,” he said.

Geoff acknowledged that the project was a team effort. He extended a “thank you” to Leslie, who supplied and fitted the shelves, while Dolf Nell supplied and fitted the perspex door. “It couldn’t have been done without the contribution of these two guys,” he added.

Take a book, leave a book

For anyone inspired to start their own street library, Geoff’s advice is simple. “You really just need to find a postbox. This will pretty much define where the library is going to be. Postboxes are mostly placed in fairly high-traffic or residential areas, which is ideal.”

Both couples – Annette and Leslie behind the first library, and Geoff and Janet behind the second – are happy to assist anyone keen to get involved.

Geoff’s message to passersby is equally straightforward. “Stop on your daily walk, have a look and see if there’s a book you like. Ideally, bring a book, take a book and leave a book.”

A QR code on the front of the postbox links to a WhatsApp group where readers can connect, share suggestions and stay in touch. “We’re always open to suggestions and improvements.”