The history of showers
Today, 86% of Uk households have atleast one shower. Most of us shower daily and think nothing of it. But how did we get where are today?
Lets take a journey of the history of showers.
The first showers were something we see in nature all the time ��� waterfalls!
Ancient tribal people would cleanse themselves by standing under the falling water.
As civilisation progressed, showering and bathing became more commonplace.
Ancient Egyptians would have jugs of water poured over them by servants. The water was often very cold!
The Ancient Greeks invented the first showers ��� aqueducts 8 sewerage systems pumped water into communal shower rooms. Water spouts on the sides of fountains were also used
as outdoor showers
The Romans continued this bathing trend by creating their famous bathhouses.
Fall of the Roman empire
Good hygiene became a religious taboo and a sign of vanity with the rise of Christianity. After a third of Europe died from the Black Death in the 14th Century, however, cleanliness became more popular, and the health benefits began to be more widely recognised.
William Feetharn, a stove maker from Ludgate Hill in London was granted the first patent for a shower in 1767. Early showers had a hand pump and were more popular than baths as they used less water, meaning servants had less to carry away!
Showers continued to grow in popularity after the health benefits were realised. In the early 19th Century the first designer shower, The English Regency, was created. It was invented anonymously, and consisted of a metal frame painted to look like bamboo. A hand pump pushed water through a tank.
Once indoor plumbing was invented around 1850. free-standing showers could be connected to a running water source. making them much easier to use.
In the 20th Century, tankless water heaters (now known as Electric Showers) became popular for their ability to generate an instant supply of hot water without relying on a hot water tank. but bathrooms as we know today were still a luxury in the UK until the 19605.
In the 19805, shower manufacturers began to respond to consumer demand for more versatile showers ��� body jets, coloured lights and drencher heads all followed!
By the late 19905, around 62% of households had a shower. Available shower technologies were electric showers, mixer showers and power showers.
In 2001. digital showers were pioneered by a UK company called Aqualisa. bringing a new, exciting era to the world of showering.
Showers today
Of the 86% of households in the UK that have a shower, the following types of showering configurations exist:
66%- shower over bath
8%-shower only
12%- seperate shower and bath
14% no shower only bath
The average person spends 8 minutes in the shower (That's the same time it takes for light to travel from the sun to the Earth.
Around 30% of households have two or more bathrooms.
An 8 minute shower uses 62 liters of water compared to 80 liters in an average bath.
(Gainsborough showers)
> n 8 minute shower uses - 2 litres of water com : red to 1 I litres used in the avera - bat
