Belmore Hall and Monsieur De Croix

The Grand United Order of Oddfellows¹ established a branch in Taree in 1870 called the “Belmore Lodge”.² In 1892 they built the impressive wooden and iron roofed Belmore Hall (18 Pulteney Street) as their meeting headquarters. It also became the centre of Taree’s entertainment with seating for 500 people.³

In 1893, a mysterious man called “Monsieur De Croix” arrived in the Manning Valley. De Croix first came to Australia in 1876 to perform at the Intercontinental Exhibition held in Sydney as an invisible wire walker. He was awarded the Exhibition Medal for his entertainment skills and was likened to “Blondin” the famous tightrope walker who crossed Niagara Gorge.⁴

De Croix performed throughout Australia and New Zealand and settled in communities for a time.⁵ When he came to Taree he considered selecting land to establish a fireworks factory.⁶ While this didn’t occur, he did raise money for the Belmore Hall by walking a wire from the Hall’s roof to Armstrong’s Corner (now Stacks Law Firm, 2024). The wire was lit with Chinese lanterns as De Croix performed his acrobatic feats.⁷ Also an artist, De Croix painted the interior of the Belmore Hall including the proscenium drop, back curtains and wings.⁸

Despite the French name, De Croix was actually William Adamson from Cheshire in England.⁹ Taree was his refuge in 1893 when his estranged wife was making headline news.¹⁰ De Croix was generous to Taree and brought talent to regional audiences, never before seen.

Author: Janine Roberts

Interior photo of the Belmore Hall in the 1940s. Is one of De Croix’s paintings in the background? Photo taken at Presbyterian Church Taree 150th celebrations 2019.