40 years ago or thereabouts BEA had rear-facing seats at the front of the cabin in their Trident 2 fleet and forward-facing seats towards the back. i cannot remember where the changeover was, but I guess that it was at a door.
My main recollection is that on takeoff you felt as if you were suspended by your seatbelt, which could be a little uncomfortable. Otherwise there was no real difference of sensation between the two directions.