English and French Styles

Although it is known that by the beginning of the XVII century there was good enough technology for fountains in almost all Europe, it was still not considered to apply this into palaces bathrooms. The construction of the Versalles palace in France started during this century, and the purpose of this building was to be the home for the Royal French family, hundreds of nobles and about 4000 servants. Even at this point, considering the beautiful exterior water fountains and cascades, this splendid palace had not considered bathrooms yet.

As recently as 1812, bathing was looked upon as frivolous. When the Lord Mayor of London requested a simple shower bath in the mansion house, he was turned down by the Common Council on the grounds that no one had ever wanted one before. It would take 20 more years before one would be installed.