A letter from a first-class passenger on the Titanic has fetched £55,000 at auction – a record price for a piece of written correspondence from the ship.

The letter was written by Adolphe Saafeld, on three sides of stationary from the doomed vessel, to his "wifey".

His words give a rare glimpse into day to day life on the maiden voyage of the Titanic which sank on April 15 1912 taking 1,517 people with it.

The letter was one of 350 lots of White Star Line memorabilia sold today by auctioneer Henry Aldridge and Son, in Devizes, Wiltshire.

The letter, composed five days before the disaster, was sold to an unidentified museum in Britain, which has yet to formally announce its purchase.