This N.B. village brought a nostalgic floral clock back to life again
The Beechwood Floral Clock was a popular picnic spot in the 1960s and 70s, featured on postcards
If you're looking for the Beechwood Floral Clock, you have to know where you're going.
It's not on Google Maps. When you're driving along Route 105, there are no signs indicating where it is. There's a long set of stairs from the highway leading to the clock if you're on foot, or a nondescript gravel road if you're driving.
But it's a hidden gem, in an unconventional location. And if you know, you know.
"This was one of those places that will always remain easy to get to. It's not inconvenient, really, and it doesn't cost a lot. Just park, and enjoy the view," said Barbara Meed, who lives in the area and visits the clock frequently.
"I'm really grateful that we have this little piece of history that's being restored today," Meed said.
It's a full-circle moment for the giant clock, located on N.B. Power land. Thanks to a group of dedicated local volunteers, it's been brought back from disrepair to its former glory.
What is a floral clock?
A floral clock is exactly what it sounds like: a working clock that incorporates flowers and greenery. They're typically quite large and built onto a flat, grassy hillside, with the mechanics of the clock hands embedded underneath or in a cement building underground.
The first floral clock was created in Edinburgh in 1903. It operated with a single hour hand at first, and a minute hand was added in 1904, followed by a cuckoo clock in 1952.
It takes the gardening team in Edinburgh six weeks to plant more than 35,000 flowers and plants to form the clock. The floral clock in Beechwood isn't nearly as elaborate, but it's still a labour of love.
Bringing the clock back to its former glory
The Beechwood Dam was built in 1955, and the floral clock was built soon after.
N.B. Power used to give the public tours of the Beechwood Dam, and families would stop by the floral clock to eat lunch, bask in the sunshine, and play tag.
Cherie Derrah helps design, plant and maintain the current clock. But she has a bit of floral clock envy — she said it used to be stunning in its heyday.
"It was like, rows and rows — the whole clock was planted, the grounds were planted in floral arrangements, and it was just huge. It was all clock and flowers, it was amazing."
Derrah said the head gardener of the clock retired about 15 years ago from N.B. Power, and after that the clock fell into disrepair.
In 2019, Derrah wanted to bring the clock back to its former glory.
"We approached N.B. Power about building a park so that everyone could enjoy it, and that was part of what we had suggested we'd like to do … restore the clock for N.B. Power, and they were all for that.… They help us with a little bit of funding."
Derrah said now, planting and maintaining the clock is a community effort, and the project is her baby.
"[The summer students] are here every day. If they're not watering, they're weeding, or fixing it up and making it look good. 'Cause they'll tell you, 'Cherie says we have to go do the clock!' I just don't have the words to describe the care that goes into it and the joy the community sees in having it revived," Derrah said.
Fond childhood memories of the clock
It seems that so many people who visit the clock have a personal connection to it in some way.
On a sunny August morning, a middle-aged couple parks their car near the clock, strolls up to it, and begins taking photos.
"We were going down to Florenceville but I said 'I want to see [the floral clock] one more time. I hadn't seen it in such a long time. I remember it perfectly," said Alli Ethier.
Ethier now lives in Grand Falls and said it's been at least 50 years since she visited the floral clock. Her uncle used to run tours at the Beechwood Dam.
"We used to go down these stairs with two younger boys my age. I remember my uncle giving me a tour of the station. It brings back an awful lot of memories and it brought me tears when I saw it," Ethier said.
Baylee Crain worked as a summer student at the floral clock last year, partly because of her connection to the place.
"My parents were the first couple to ever get married here. My mom actually grew up just across the road, so she has a lot of attachment to this place. This has just always been part of my life and it's really nice," Crain said.
Barbara Meed, whose father worked on the construction of the Beechwood Dam, spent a lot of her childhood at the clock.
"I remember coming here as a kid, just pulling up in a car and getting out and putting a little chair or even a blanket down and just having a picnic," Meed said.
All these years later, Meed feels it's still a spot where, ironically, "time stands still."
"This is where you can come and still have that picnic as a family. This is where you can still be quiet and one with nature."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
