Ratman of Southend on Sea a local legend

A big thank you to Deborah Hatswell for this link about a local legend based in my old haunt in Essex where I live until 1988 ,I personally have not heard of this but back then I was not  into the same things I am now .I am going to try on suggestion for Deborah Hatswell to contact person who wrote article and try to map area as well i will update folks

Thank you too Maxine  Pearsonfor the  this information Ok so four looks like the one from my friends flat in a tower block called Barringtons heading into town then the two looks like the flyover in queens theres also an underground tunnel that runs from the bus station all the way to shoeburyness not well known by the public but lots of myths and stories from that as shoeburyness was the /the pickup point to foulness where many a strange tale has been told il get some home footage for you asap .Im trying to track down the old fella who was always called out to deal with unwanted rodents and small animals he killed most of them including ferrets ect his nickname was ratman as well he worked all over southend and in great wakering where the black dog was seen in star lane .

 

Ratman of Southend - Mythical Creatures Guide

The Ratman is a local legend originating in the town of Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

Centering around an underpass, the legend has two main variants, the commonality between them being the presence of a rat-like creature who appears in the pedestrian walkways at night.

DEAD TRAMP

The most commonly told story of the Ratman involves an old tramp who used the underpass to escape from the rain and the cold at nights. The story goes that he was old and barely able to walk. One night a group of teenagers beat him half to death and stole his blanket, the only real source of warmth he had. Dying from his injuries and the biting cold of the night, he succumbed to hypothermia - his stiffening corpse nibbled and gnawed on by the numerous vermin who inhabit the area.

Soon after, locals reported odd noises. Namely, high-pitched squealing and the sound of nails dragging along the walls. Whether evidence of a real ghost or an overactive imagination, the fact remains that this story and subsequent noises led to locals dubbing the creature the Ratman of Southend.

MUTANT

The other main version of the story is far more fanciful and seems to have emerged in schools, a tale passed between children to frighten and unnerve their classmates. The Ratman is no longer a ghost, but a real creature. The story runs that a Mayor of the town was a known adulterer and was eventually cursed for hisinfidelity - in the form of a grotesque child. A baby with the elongated snout and worm-like tail of a rat. The child grew and developed tastes for flesh.

The Mayor had the underpass constructed to conceal his monstrous child. And via hidden doors, the Ratman escapes at night, scaring off any visitors who disturb his rest.

REFERENCES IN MEDIA

Local author, Dee Gordon, detailed the local ghost stories of the Essex area - including that of the Ratman - in the book Haunted Southend.

Ghost tours in the Essex area have been known to include nighttime visits to the Ratman Tunnel in the hope of seeing the creature.