Indeed - in southern England, road cyclists tend to need an all-year-round wet-weather bike more than a winter hack, although adding tougher tyres in winter helps.
Having cycled for many years, I decided long ago that one should have a quality bike dedicated to wet weather riding, and moreover that it should be as 'good' as one's number one mudguardless fine-weather bike if possible (subject to saving the necessaries of course), due to the number of wet days' riding in this country that we have to endure