Well, I happened to be at our infamous Beast Clock at the stroke of the hour. I had the pleasure of witnessing the horse rise up on it’s hind legs and toss it’s head in the air. I had no idea it did this- and as it turns out, there was a lot more I didn’t know
I didn’t know the about the controversy
Back in the day, the Beast Clock was as controversial as the Albion Flats. The design originated from a contest, and the designer was apparently inspired by this Hasbro toy:
I didn’t know there was a “Legend”
yep, the Legend of the Beast (Click here to read it)
I didnt’ know The Beast moved
Imagine my surprise when I stopped to photograph it at 10 am, exactly. I was shocked when The Beast reared on his hind legs and tossed his head. (I heard a rumor he used to blow smoke out his nose.)
Well, Beast- I thought you were just an ode to the prevalent horse community in Maple Ridge. I didn’t know you were a moving Maple Ridge icon, standing over our city in protection of our vast green space and fresh air.










The Beast has been controversial in the past couple of years as well. The mechanics of The Beast stopped working and there was great debate regarding whether or not it would be repaired. It seemed that the mechanical aspects of The Beast were complicated and expensive to fix. I, for one, am pleased that it was refurbished and feel that The Beast deserves a bit more publicity….it is Maple Ridge’s equivalent of the Gastown Steam Clock.
Great article, Andrea