Survey reveals what British people think as Britain's greatest feature

LONDON - Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Beatles are just three things people identify as British's greatest features, a survey released Monday has revealed.

People were asked to name their favorite sights, British characteristics and British exports to help discover the country's greatest features.

Queuing in the rain, outdoor barbecues and the British weather all made the list. But firm favorites dominated the lists in a nationwide poll by the Britain's largest self-catering cottage holiday company, cottages.com.

The research also revealed that, as a nation, Britain pride itself on an eclectic mix of habits. Nearly half (47 percent) felt that talking about the weather was a real indication of being British, followed by an affection for queuing (33 percent), Britain's unique sense of humour (29 percent) and barbecuing in the rain (13 percent).

While a quarter of respondents believed manners were still a British virtue, 19 percent felt Briton's have become a bunch of moaners.

The English language was cited as the thing British people were most proud of giving the world (23 percent), topping the list of exports which also included Shakespeare, penicillin, the Royal Family, football and the full English breakfast.

Simon Norton from cottages.com which commissioned the research, said: "Although we often poke fun at ourselves, it's clear that as a nation we are distinctly proud of our traditions and the characteristics which define us as a country.

"When asked what were the best British landmarks, Stonehenge and the Lake District were the places we love the most, followed by Buckingham Palace. In addition to the monarchy, our history and culture were highlighted as the things which really 'sell' us as a place to visit."

Voted as the top 10 Best British sights were Stonehenge, the Lake District, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Edinburgh Castle, the White Cliffs of Dover, the Tower of London, London Eye, Windsor Castle and Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis in Scotland.