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View To A Thrill of crane from Bond film

It's been there for a year – and anyone walking past would be forgiven for thinking it's just another crane on just another building site.

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But this 85ft blue crane in Wombourne is actually a huge piece of cinematic history.

The towering structure was central to arguably the greatest James Bond stunt of all time: Daniel Craig's death-defying leap from the crane in the 2006 blockbuster Casino Royale.

The moment was one of the most breathtaking in 007 history – and fans duly voted it their favourite stunt in 2008.

"It's been wonderful working with a crane that has a connection to James Bond," says Colin Ward, trust clerk for Wrekin Housing Trust, which is currently building 52 apartments for the over-55s in Planks Lane, which are due to open next month.

Build manager Kevin McCann next to the huge crane on Planks Lane.

"You get fantastic views of Wombourne from the top and it's exciting for people when they hear it played a part in such a famous opening scene," he added.

In the scene, Bond chases villain, Mollaka into a building site and grapples with him on the crane 200ft in the air.

As Mollaka – played by free runner Sebastien Foucan – escapes, Bond spectacularly leaps from one level of the crane to another before leaping on to the roof of a nearby building.

Free runner Sebastien Foucan escapes in Casino Royale.

The crane scene pipped the classic downhill ski chase in The Spy Who Loved Me, which ended with Roger Moore floating to safety under a Union Jack parachute, into second place

Casino Royale marked Daniel Craig's debut as 007 and the actor took part in the stunt himself.

He said of the scene: "I wanted to be seen jumping from crane to crane, physically exerting myself.

"I didn't get fit just to take my shirt off."

More than 1,500 film fans cast their vote in the poll.

Moore's barrel-roll car jump over a canal in Thailand in The Man With The Golden Gun was third. That featured a 1974 AMC Hornet X launched off of a slanted ramp by British stunt driver, Bumps Willard.

In fourth place was Bond's record 120ft speedboat leap from Live And Let Die released in 1974.

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