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Achnacloich - a small village in Argyllshire, Scotland. The railway station was named "Ach-na-Cloich" by the Callander and Oban Railway company-ref>Fryer (1989): page 54 clearly shows the station name sign "ACH-NA-CLOICH" Ached na Cloiche (Scottish Gaelic: "Stonefield") Its site is located on the Oban route of the scenic West Highland Line on the South shore of Loch Etive, Argyllshire. Opened by the Callander and Oban Railway, it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. Passing to the Scottish Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948, it was then closed by the British Railways Board.

The local village is called Achnacloich, although the Callander and Oban Railway named the station "Ach-na-Cloich".[2] Achnacloich House, listed B, is a rambling Scottish Baronial mansion of two main storeys with a taller tower. It was built by John Starforth of Edinburgh on the site of an earlier building. The simple dry Stone Walls surrounding the kitchen garden were built before c.1860 as they are shown on the 1st edition OS. The Stables and Garage are situated adjacent to the minor road leading to the house.Little is known about Achnacloich before the present house was built in the mid 19th century. Various Campbells owned the property for some time and it is thought that there are papers concerning their house in the Argyll archives held at Inveraray but these have not been seen in the course of this study. The Nelson family bought the estate in the late 19th century. Mr T.E. Nelson inherited the estate in 1917. His mother was the sister of F.R.S. Balfour (see below) of Dawyck who created the renowned woodland gardens which now are an annexe of the Royal Botanic Garden. F.R.S. Balfour inspired his nephew with the love of gardening and collecting plants and he began planting in the 1920s and 30s. Since Mr Nelson's death, Mrs Nelson continues to care for their gardens.

BALFOUR, Colonel Frederick Robert Stephen 1873-1945 Born Denbighshire 1873; died London 1945

Educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh and gaining a BA at Oxford University in 1896, Frederick Balfour was initially employed in his family firm in London. He travelled extensively on business and made several expeditions to the Pacific coast of North America, on one occasion staying there for 4 years, acquiring a deep knowledge of forest trees. He introduced the cultivation of several pines including Picea brewiana and developed the Arboretum at the family estate at Dawyck near Peebles, which he had inherited from his father in 1886. Dawyck was already a well established estate with trees dating back to the late seventeenth century. In 1916 Balfour was sent to France to liaise with the French Army over supplies of timber, being appointed Lieut. Colonel for the purpose. His interest in forestry continued after the war and he travelled extensively to supplement the Dawyck collection. With many business interests and directorships, Balfour was a member of the King’s Bodyguard for Scotland, Royal Company of Archers and a local Justice of the Peace and Vice Lieutenant of the county in Peeblesshire. Sources: R. Desmond ‘Dictionary of British and Irish Botanists and Horticulturalists’; Gardeners Chronicle 1945; RBGE obituary folder. D.W. «