Britannia Stop Lock facts for kids
| Waterway | Limehouse Cut |
|---|---|
| County | Tower Hamlets Greater London |
| Maintained by | N/A |
| Operation | Redundant |
| Fall | Stop lock |
| Distance to Old Ford Lock |
1.9 miles (3.1 km) |
| Distance to Limehouse Basin |
0.1 miles (0.2 km) |
| Coordinates | 51°30′44″N 0°01′54″W / 51.51235°N 0.0318°W |
The Britannia Stop Lock was a special kind of lock located on the Limehouse Cut waterway in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was built a long time ago, in 1853. Locks are like water elevators that help boats move between different water levels.
Contents
What Was Britannia Stop Lock?
A stop lock is a type of lock that was built to control the water level between two different canals or sections of a canal. It could also stop water from flowing from one part to another if there was a problem like a break in the canal bank. The Britannia Stop Lock had gates on both sides of the Commercial Road bridge. These gates were set up so that boats traveling from the south-west to the north-east would go up in height.
A Look Back: Its History
The Britannia Stop Lock has an interesting history with several changes over the years.
The Regents Canal Connection
Starting from January 1, 1854, the Regents Canal company took over the Limehouse Cut. They built a new connection that linked the Limehouse Cut to the Regents Canal Dock, which is now known as Limehouse Basin. At the same time, a third set of gates was added to Britannia Lock. These new gates faced the opposite direction. They were put in place to help when the water level in the dock was higher than the water level in the Limehouse Cut.
Changes Over Time
However, this new connection didn't last very long. By May 1864, it was filled in. A report from 1893 mentioned that there was no sign that the third set of gates at Britannia Lock had ever been used. They were removed around 1868. The other original gates were also taken away because they were no longer needed.
Later, after British Waterways took control of the canal in 1948, a different type of gate was installed. This was a vertical "guillotine gate" on the north side of the Commercial Road bridge. Imagine a gate that slides straight up and down like a guillotine! But this gate was also removed in the 1990s. Today, the Britannia Stop Lock is no longer in use.
Visiting Britannia Stop Lock Today
Even though the lock itself is no longer working, you can still visit the area where it once stood.
Getting There
You can walk or cycle along the towpath, which is a path next to the canal. This towpath is part of the Lea Valley Walk, a popular route for exploring the area. The closest train station is Limehouse, which is served by the Docklands Light Railway.
