Up until the 1970s, showering in Britain was generally not considered as part of a daily washing routine
. There had been some Regency examples for the very wealthy where water from an overhead tank would be showered over the individual and then manually pumped back round for the whole process to be begin again. These contraptions however mostly used cold water so were not as popular as a good long soak in a bath where hot water could be continually added by the servants.
Showers began to become popular with the advent of the package tour when Britons began to visit Europe and North Africa in droves. Showers were commonplace in these warmer countries where people had been taking showers for thousands of years. The Greeks and Egyptians usually had shower rooms where slaves dealt out ewers of cold water over their masters and mistresses. Britain was rather held back bathing wise, because early Christians considered bathing as vain and unholy and not to be encouraged. Indoor plumbing was introduced into Britain during the 1800s and potentially heated tap water could be managed although this was still the preserve of the very wealthy.
Modern central heating boilers brought with it unlimited amounts of hot water and warmer bathrooms and improvements in shower designs meant that showering in Britain became more popular. With the advent of the power shower, busy people can now enjoy jets of hot water to invigorate them before going to work.
Outlets like Boundary Bathrooms now produce all types of shower (like Bristan showers) to appeal to modern tastes and dcor and showering has now become very much a part of modern day living in Britain.