Answer: Britain took control of the Suez Canal in 1882, thirteen years after its construction was completed. It had originally been constructed by a French company, but British troops moved in to protect the canal from a civil war that was happening in Egypt. At that point, the British government owned part of the canal because the ruler of Egypt sold it to Britain when Egypt was in need of money.
The canal was very important for Britain due to the amount of trade that went on between Britain and India. By passing through the canal rather than going around Africa, ships saved huge amounts of time -- an average of two-thirds of the voyage around Africa.