The eighteenth-century French king Louis XV was an incurable romantic who had a great appreciation of the finer things in life. At his palace of Versailles, he entertained the leading beauties of the day, including Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, the famous Madame Pompadour.

What's the point of a cast iron bath? Surely plastic ones are lighter, cheaper and come in a range of colours, including avocado. You can even get imitation woodgrain side panels to add instant sophistication. So why choose cast iron? Well, there's a host of reasons, apart from the obvious ones hinted at above.