FIRST & ONLY PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL IN GEORGETOWN

It was the Luckhoo Swimming Pool, one of the delightful spots in Georgetown for 25 years. Thousands waded into the pool by themselves, or with swimming instructors, or plunged in from springboards while lifeguards watched attentively, ready to go into action when necessary. Some were recreational swimmers; others were competitive swimmers going through their paces.

The Luckhoo Swimming Pool, located in Georgetown, near to the seawall, west of the Pegasus Hotel. To the north was the sometimes-muddy Atlantic. It had deep and shallow sections, underwater and overhead lighting. There were male and female changing rooms, a refreshment section and a car park.

The pool was named after the lawyer, politician and diplomat, Sir Lionel Luckhoo, who conceived of it and worked to make it a reality. Luckhoo was Mayor of Georgetown in 1955 and again from 1960 to1961. Sir Lionel had a lot of persuading to do. By the time he gave up office as Mayor in 1956, he was chairing a committee working to implement the idea. By May, 1957, they had raised $28,500 to start work at the site. The pool was opened some time between 1960 and 1962.

But one day in 1984, the pool was closed. A diver, Alfred Mann, had gone in as usual to clean the pool with a broom. He soon found that his broom got stuck. A check revealed a half-inch crack running east to west. At one stage, workmen from the Stone Depot of the Mayor and City Council, chipped one foot on each side of the crack, re-laid steel and re-cast it. The crack reopened in two years. The pool was then closed for good. The Pool was demolished in 2008 by the Guyana Government to make way for a hospitality structure.