Day 301/22. A Victorian Shower....

In the first half of the 19th century plumbed bathrooms were uncommon even in grand houses. Shower baths such as this one were also portable, rather than plumbed in. In a labour-intensive operation: servants filled the tank at the top with hot water; the water was then released by pulling a chain; finally, the integral stirrup pump was operated to force water from the tray back up the pipes and into the tank to be used again.
Water must have also gone everywhere.
This is at Erddig House, close to Wrexham in Wales.