I remember rearward facing seats on tridents and of course much more recently on BA Club 747 and Triples. People seemed quite happy with them and as I like a window seat I usually opted for them on BA long haul. Definately a mostly British ideas and mostly on aircraft with less than spectacular deck angles on take off. Being in the rearward facing block of four 'facing seats might have been a more peculiar feeling lets say on an MD80 a type I flew on a very large number of times in Scandi land and on a short ARN-CPH or HEL hop went up like a rocket.
Not all British though since while writing this it reminded me that on American Eagle ATR42/72 around the Caribbean in the 1980s the first row were rear facing