CEOAFRICA gathered that the violin that was played to calm passengers on the Titanic as the vessel sank has sold for £900,000 at auction in Wiltshire.

It was played by band leader Wallace Hartley, who died along with 1,517 others as the ship went down.

According to source, Auctioneer Alan Aldridge said the violin was the "rarest and most iconic" piece of Titanic memorabilia. Other items up for sale are Hartley's music sheet and the bag he kept it in.

Hartley has become part of the ship's legend after leading his fellow musicians in playing as the vessel sank, most famously the hymn Nearer My God To Thee.

It had taken seven years for the Devizes auction house, Henry Aldridge & Son, to authenticate the instrument using several experts.