A RARE letter by Sir Edward Elgar has been sold at auction for £360.

The hand-written missive, written in London in October 1908, was bought by a phone bidder at the Assembly Rooms in Ludlow on Thursday (July 31).

It was originally sent to music publisher Novello following the composer's completion of revisions to his first symphony.

Paul Madeley, partner at auctioneer's Mullock Madeley, said he was delighted that the letter had been sold, and at a higher price than estimated.

"There was a lot of interest in it, it's a rare item," he said.

The letter was expected to fetch between £250 and £350.