The Palace of Wonders – Adelaide Arcade Waxworks
Discovering the location and history of the waxworks once
housed inside the Adelaide Arcade has become a personal labour of love. My
first encounter with the subject came while researching the death of Sydney
Byron Kennedy and the tragic aftermath that followed.
The Kennedy family lived above Shop 11 — now Manhattan
Drycleaners — and operated their business from the ground floor, offering
psychic readings and phrenology sessions. Their domestic life, however, was far
from harmonious. Michael Kennedy eventually absconded to Tasmania, leaving his
wife Bridget distraught. She hired a private detective to retrieve their son,
but he returned without the child, offering only information on Michael’s
whereabouts. A month later, young Sydney was found dead in the Arcade
residence. Seven months after that, in August 1902, Bridget herself was
discovered deceased in the Adelaide Parklands. (You can read the full case
here: The Haunts of Adelaide – Madame Kennedy - http://hauntedadelaide.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/adelaide-arcade-part-four-madame-kennedy.html))
The first advertisements for the Arcade Waxworks (sometimes
called “Kennedy’s Waxworks”) appeared in December 1901. The City of
Adelaide: A Thematic History (McDougall & Vines, 2006) notes that the
waxworks were in the basement. This makes perfect sense: the Kennedys lived
upstairs, held their psychic demonstrations on the ground floor, and would have
used the cooler, hidden basement space for their wax displays.
After the scandal surrounding his family and the deaths of
his wife and child, Michael Kennedy returned to the Arcade and continued
running the waxworks, which had by then become a popular attraction.
A Macabre Coincidence
In 1904, the Adelaide Wax Works featured a wax effigy of
convicted murderer Thomas Horton — the very man who killed his wife Frances at
the Rundle Street end of the Arcade on 27 February 1904. Horton was hanged at
Adelaide Gaol on 12 May 1904. Justice in those days was swift and unforgiving.
Madame Phyllis and the Expansion
Michael Kennedy died in 1908, and the waxworks were taken over
by Madame Phyllis, herself a psychic. She expanded the collection to 75 wax
figures, suggesting that the displays likely occupied both the ground floor and
basement by this time.
Visitors were guided through the exhibition by a tour host
who explained each figure’s life story and why Madame Phyllis had chosen them.
Notable figures included Queen Victoria, Sir Hector MacDonald, Ned Kelly, and
his sister Kate.
Mrs Brown and Later Owners
The next known owner was Mrs Brown. In a 1935 News
article, caretaker Jonah Benjamin — who served the Arcade for 50 years —
described her as
Mr A. Netter appears to have taken over the waxworks around
1941, though the exact circumstances remain unclear. In 1942, a group of
visiting soldiers stole a full‑sized wax effigy of Adolf Hitler from the Arcade
Waxworks — one of the strangest thefts in Adelaide’s history.
The End of the Waxworks
The waxworks were finally removed from the Arcade in 1953.
Their departure was dramatic: while dismantling the displays, carpenter Mr
Yeend was pinned to the floor by a falling effigy. The figure — ironically one
of a murderer — held a sharp blade that landed against Yeend’s throat. He
survived, but with a story worthy of the waxworks themselves.
A Vanished Attraction
Despite being one of Adelaide’s most unusual historical
attractions, very little information survives in archives. Reporters often ask
me about the waxworks, and I continue to research their history — especially
the fate of the effigies. Did they end up in private collections? Were they
destroyed? Do any still exist?
If you have photographs, documents, or memories of the
Adelaide Arcade Waxworks, I would love to hear from you.
Newspaper records suggest that Madame and Professor Kennedy, or at least, Madame Kennedy (Bridget Kennedy Bryon) arrived in Adelaide in 1897.
ReplyDeleteThe first advertisement appears to be that in The Express & telegraph on 5 April 1897 (p. 1) which records: "Intuitional Palmistry. Madame Kennedy (from Hobart) the celebrated Intuitional Palmist, has arrived, and may be consulted at 96, Hindley-street, opposite
Cyclorama."
Then on 10 April 1897 (Express & Telegraph p. 1) is found the following two advertisements: "MADAME KENNEDY (from Hobart), Intuitional Palmist and Medical and Business Clairvoyant, daily. 96, Hindley-street, opposite Cyclorama."
"PROFESSOR KENNEDY, Practical Phrenologist and Physiognomist. - Youths' charts a speciality. Daily. - 96, Hindley-street, opposite Cyclorama."
On 8 May 1897 (Express & Telegraph p. 1) is recorded: "PALMISTRY & CLAIRVOYANCE. Madame KENNEDY wishes to inform her Clients that she removes to the Adelaide Arcade on Wednesday."
It is evident that at first Madame and Professor Kennedy operated out 13, Arcade, before subsequently moving into for some time No. 10, and finally No. 11.
Also of interest is that the woman with whom Professor Kennedy (Bryon) absconded to Hobart was actually "Madame Phyllis" (as she was later known) who, on arrival in Adelaide 1900/1901, had called herself Madame Cheira. "Madame Phyllis, was actually Ella/Ada Brown.
Madame Phyllis was also one of the 18 women and men arrested on 4 July 1917 and charged with being rogues and vagabonds for pretending to tell fortunes. Those arrests were the first ones instigated by Policewoman Kate Cocks and the Commissioner of Police.
There is little doubt the actions of the police women used in the cases constituted entrapment. It is also quite clear that the prime motive on the part of the police, or more particularly Cocks, was to try and eradicate the spiritualist mediums who had been offering their services to concerned and grieving parents, while at the same time gathering up the various "psychics"and "fortune tellers" operating in Adelaide, many of whom had been practicing their craft for up to 30 years with impunity.