Britannia Bridge is where the Commercial Road crosses the Cut.
 It was named after the Britannia Tavern (c.1770-1911), which can be found in Horwood's 1819 map and is visible in the image  Limehouse in 1809 (above, "Further widening"), left background.
 The original bridge cramped the Cut and interrupted its towpath.

When the Limehouse Cut was connected to the Regent's Canal Dock (above), a potential hydraulic problem was created.
 Since the Limehouse Cut was tidal, but the Regent's Canal was not, at times water might escape from the Dock and move up the Cut.
 (Conversely, at other times water from the Cut might overfill the Dock.)
 To restrict the loss of water a new lock was built at Britannia Bridge.
It was a double regulating lock, with gates pointing in both directions, and new wing walls so as to form, conjointly, a new and more spacious Bridge.
 Horses could pass along the new towpath underneath.
 The work was supervised jointly by Beardmore and the Regent Canal's engineer.

The lock gates were little used ("they never were, nor could be, used to keep out the tidal water, which comes into the Cut through many channels", wrote engineer Joe Child), and they were removed.
Britannia Bridge is where the Commercial Road crosses the Cut.  It was named after the Britannia Tavern (c.1770-1911), which can be found in Horwood's 1819 map and is visible in the image  Limehouse in 1809 (above, "Further widening"), left background.  The original bridge cramped the Cut and interrupted its towpath.
When the Limehouse Cut was connected to the Regent's Canal Dock (above), a potential hydraulic problem was created.  Since the Limehouse Cut was tidal, but the Regent's Canal was not, at times water might escape from the Dock and move up the Cut.  (Conversely, at other times water from the Cut might overfill the Dock.)  To restrict the loss of water a new lock was built at Britannia Bridge. It was a double regulating lock, with gates pointing in both directions, and new wing walls so as to form, conjointly, a new and more spacious Bridge.  Horses could pass along the new towpath underneath.  The work was supervised jointly by Beardmore and the Regent Canal's engineer.
The lock gates were little used ("they never were, nor could be, used to keep out the tidal water, which comes into the Cut through many channels", wrote engineer Joe Child), and they were removed.
Limehouse Cut