Yes, you should get flow right from the moment the engine starts. This is pointing to a water pump or circulation issue.
Are you due a cambelt change anytime soon? The water pump should be replaced as part of a cam belt change.
The bottom hose should get almost as warm as the top hose. The heater not getting warm is also a sign that water isn't circulating through the heater matrix.
I'm not sure that's a valid test. Works on some K-series Rovers but not sure it's a test for these. Your after-run coolant pump works, as do your fans with the air-con. The factory manual suggests the wiring bridging test that you've already done, which made your fans work.
I'd suggest this points at a water pump, but of course it's difficult to diagnose over the internet!