UK Taps

Here in the UK, we're known for having separate hot and cold taps, which delivery freezing cold water, and scalding hot water independently, rather than having mixer taps that sensible countries do.

I think there's probably a good reason for it if you go back into the antiquities of time. Probably something to do with having a separate potable water supply, or something to do with our water heating systems.

Or maybe we didn't wash our hands very often, and so when we needed to we could just put a plug in, and fill the basin using both taps.

It's a source of confusion to visitors to the UK though.

Given we invented radar, jet engines, the computer, hovercraft, and public-key cryptography among other things, I would have thought that we could get our heads round this.


The real thing that amazes me though, is how short some of the taps are.
You literally have to be touching the back of the basin in order to get your hands under the flow of some taps.

Again, perhaps the idea is that you're meant to fill the basin to use it, but that makes washing your hands after going to the toilet much more of a chore, and can only be done if there's a plug around, which often there isn't.

But hey. At least we don't have the weird massive gaps around the cubicle toilet doors that they do in America.