Château de Biron The Dordogne

Eight kilometres south of Monpazier, this much-filmed château is a glorious mishmash of styles, having been fiddled with by eight centuries of successive heirs. The castle was finally sold in the early 1900s to pay for the extravagant lifestyle of a particularly irresponsible son. It’s notable for its slate turrets and double loggia staircase, supposedly modelled on one at Versailles.