I don't see a problem with automatics on hills, if people use the manual low-gear lockouts, and don't forget that there are positions beyond "D" and just ride the brakes all the way down instead.
Regarding column-mount versus floor shift (whether manual or auto), British cars have tended to favor the floor position much more than American in the past. Column shifters pretty much disappeared completely here by the end of the 1960s, and even those were typically only on certain larger models (Ford Zephyr, Zodiac, etc.).
It's quite amusing to see the young-uns look at American vehicles if they've never seen them before and look puzzled over the column lever and nothing on the floor! That's not to mention under-dash parking brakes which they seem to find highly amusing. They've never known anything but the modern centrally mounted brake lever between the seats.
