Question: Somehow, I expect I know the answer to this already. Sigh. In a scene I am writing set in the Pump Room, I have described a marble fountain dispensing the waters, only to go, “Wait a minute, is that more Victorian than Regency in its description?” So . . . in the Regency, would the waters have been dispensed by servers at some kind of bar, instead of from a fountain with spigots?
Answer: I found this quote from Google Books. Hope it helps a little.
The Early Days of the Nineteenth Century in England, 1800-1820, Volume 1 – By William Connor Sydney
An interesting glance at the Bath of 1811 is afforded by a letter of a Canadian traveller: “On one side is the pump, where a woman stands and distributes old King Bladud’s waters to old and young, sick and ill. An old duchess of eighty and a child of four were both drinking the waters while I was there. I had ‘a glass; it is very hot and tastes very mineral. At one end of the room is an orchestra, where bands of music are continually playing. The company at the same time walking up and down in crowds, minding the music, but buzzing like merchants on-‘change.”
Also, I have a “volume” of notes on a variety of subjects (some 800+ pages), but I do not know from whom or which source this quotes comes: “In the centre of the south side is a marble vase from which issue the water with a fire-place on each side.”
In addition, I have read multiple novels where the author describes that the water was distributed from a fountain. Now, that does not necessary mean they were correct. It could be a Georgette Heyer kind of thing where some of what the author made up is now considered part of the “legend of the Regency.”
For a novel with detailed descriptions of bathing in Bath (which I have not seen elsewhere), try Carolyn Korsmeyer’s Charlotte’s Story, originally published TouchPoint Press in 2021. It is an Austenesque story about Charlotte Lucas, I have not tracked down the author’s sources, but she is a meticulous researcher and an editor, so I am confident she has completed her search for facts. There are quite a few descriptions of Charlotte Lucas involved with the water in Bath, not just the Pump Room.
To ease the strain of their relationship, Charlotte leaves her husband to visit the fashionable city of Bath with several women companions. The weeks there prove to be a time for self-discovery and freedom, and the marital frost begins to thaw. However, events in Bath result in an unfortunate, even calamitous, consequence.
Charlotte devises an audacious solution that combines bold connivance and compassionate duplicity, pursuing her hope of happiness with the wit and courage to seek it.
The ever fabulous Shannon Donnelly once shared this link: There are a couple of images that show the lady distributing the waters from behind a counter, some sort of actual pump behind her:
1798 –
1825 – https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2018/08/beau-nash-statue-in-pump-rooms-bath-by.html
Jane Austen’s World has a wonderful piece on The Pump Room’s Little Known Facts
King George V of Great Britain was born on June 3, 1865, the unpromising second son of Edward VII. Initially, he sought a career in the British Navy, but the untimely death of his brother, Albert, placed him on the throne. He became king in 1910 (serving until 1936) and played an active role supporting the troops during World War I. Though lackluster in personality, he won the loyalty of the middle class and many in Great Britain with his steadfast dedication to his country.
“Details have emerged from the National Archive of the royal family’s anxiety at the way Anthony Hall, who was said to be tall and always impeccably dressed, drew crowds of up to 800 people to hear his claims of direct lineage from Henry VIII. Across the West Midlands, he used his 1931 campaign meetings to denounce King George, the Queen’s grandfather, as a ‘pure blooded German’ with no right to rule Britain. 
The word “genteel” is an adjective, meaning polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way. Its roots can be found in the late 16th century (in the sense ‘fashionable, stylish’): from French gentil ‘well-born’. From the 17th century to the 19th century the word was used in such senses as ‘of good social position’, ‘having the manners of a well-born person’, ‘well bred’. The ironic or derogatory implication dates from the 19th century, in which the Regency era lies. (Dictionary.com)
Most of us believe we know how the word is defined, and, I imagine, for many, your personal definition of a “gentleman” is based on behavior. However, that was not always the case during the Regency era. A man could be a “rake” or womanizer, but still be considered a gentleman. 
Therefore, when Elizabeth Bennet argues her point regarding Lady Catherine’s objections of Elizabeth setting her sights too high on the “order of precedence” by aspiring to marry Mr. Darcy, her ladyship’s response appears to make more sense. Elizabeth’s father was part of the landed gentry, but Mrs. Bennet’s roots lies in trade, as does Mrs. Bennet’s brother, Mr. Gardiner, and her sister, Mrs. Phillips. 
The good colonel’s father, an earl, had enough money to purchase him a position of rank in the Army. He is commissioned as an “officer and a gentleman.” His rank has nothing to do with whether Colonel Fitzwilliam truly behaved as a “gentleman,” as the modern term indicates. He could have been a rascal of a man, but still hold the term “gentleman” as part of his recognition in society. 
The growing wealth of the middle class purchasing their way into the gentry was another threat. Mr. Bingley in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a prime example of this situation. Jane Austen’s books all deal with that question: “What is a true gentleman?” But because of the laws where only the first son inherited, second sons, ostensibly part of the upper class and a gentleman, had to have something to live on Again, I return to Colonel Fitzwilliam in the same book.
Gronow’s wonderful book is a great illustration of an officer being among the upper classes, but as a war-minted gentleman without much money, he was not fully accepted.
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Every Woman Dreams... 