A motorised wheelchair used by the late British physicist Stephen Hawking has sold at auction for almost 300,000 UK pounds.

At the same time, his dissertation "Properties of expanding universes" from 1965 has sold for nearly 600,000 pounds at Christies.

The 9-day online event is designed to raise money for the Stephen Hawking Foundation and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

The auction has also featured sale of various pieces of Hawking's belongings, including essays, medals, awards and a copy of his book a "Brief History of Time" signed with a thumbprint, alongside letters and manuscripts of Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein.

Famed for his work in trying to better understand the origins of the universe, Hawking died in March at the age of 76 after spending most of his life confined to a wheelchair with motor neurone disease.