Big Ben tops film location poll

The landmark topped the survey for a scene in the 1978 thriller The Thirty Nine Steps when Robert Powell's character hangs off the clock face.

St Paul's Cathedral was voted second place, for the scene in Mary Poppins where the hungry pigeons get fed on the building's steps.

More than 3,000 people were surveyed for the poll by cinema advertising company Pearl and Dean.

Westminster Bridge, the location for the opening scene of the British horror film 28 Days Later, is third in the survey.

In the film, Irish star Cillian Murphy's character wakes up to find himself completely alone in London and wanders over the deserted bridge.

• 1. Big Ben (The Thirty Nine Steps)
• 2. St Paul's Cathedral (Mary Poppins)
• 3. Westminster Bridge (28 Days Later)
• 4. Piccadilly Circus (An American Werewolf in London)
• 5. Number 10 Downing Street (Love Actually)
• 6. The Millennium Dome (The World is Not Enough)
• 7. Westminster Abbey (The Da Vinci Code)
• 8. Portobello Market (Notting Hill)
• 9. Covent Garden (My Fair Lady
• 10. Borough Market (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason)

The films of British director Richard Curtis, including Love Actually and Notting Hill, featured in the poll several times

Kathryn Jacob, spokeswoman for Pearl and Dean, said: "Richard Curtis has done a lot to raise the profile of London in his films, so it's no surprise that he's taken three places in our poll.

"But for a truly iconic image of London in film it's hard to beat the nail-biting, clock-ticking drama seen at the top of Big Ben in The Thirty Nine Steps."

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