Richard John Randall

[7] In 1881 Richard's father George Randall was appointed Queensland Emigration Agent to Britain, a position that required him to take extended tours to England.

[1][10] After leaving the Herkomer School, Richard Randall spent 18 months working in London, occupying a studio in Queensborough Terrace, Bayswater.

[1][12] In 1899 Richard Randall returned to Queensland, the purpose of which (according to some sources) was "to carry out his father's patriotic wish, that now he had received some training and experience he should go back and use this and his talent to help lift art matters in his native city and country".

The site chosen was a block of land owned by his father at 72 Cordelia Street in South Brisbane, opposite St Andrew's Church of England.

Favouring the Queen Anne Revival style, these artists' studios were either part of or attached to a single house, or constructed as groups of units.

Common features of artists' studios included a substantially sized painting room (that served as both a working and entertaining space), and large windows and skylights for adequate natural light, controlled by blinds.

[22] Built on steeply sloping ground, the studio occupied the upper floor at street level and the residence below was accessed by an external staircase at the rear.

The studio itself was a single volume lit by a large bay window and skylight in the centre of the main elevation, with blinds to control light levels.

A part-height timber partition wall created an entrance passageway, with a curtain hung across it to shield views into the studio from the front door.

The high walls (painted a "cool green") had few windows, providing ample hanging space for pictures, and the room contained a "model's throne".

[1][13] Once settled into his new studio residence, Richard Randall began advertising for pupils in the Brisbane Courier, offering drawing and painting lessons in a variety of mediums, including oils, water-colours and pastels.

[1][29] Some time after his return to Australia, Richard received overtures from various London art galleries, and subsequently collections of his works were sent back to England and displayed for purchase.

[33] The studio and its contents were kept intact until c. 1913, and opened for viewing by the public and eminent guests, such as Govennor and Lady Chelmsford, who visited in December 1906 and purchased several watercolour sketches.

[40] After the end of World War II, the collection was not reinstated to the gallery and the majority of works remained in poor storage conditions in the basement, or were loaned out or taken without any record being kept of where they went.

A 1953 newspaper article claimed that the paintings were being eaten by rats and falling into disrepair, but it was not until the mid-1980s that a concerted effort was made to track down and restore the collection, which had dwindled to 154 pieces.

[45] Only the upper floor (the former studio) was saved and relocated approximately 300 metres (980 ft) along Cordelia Street to Musgrave Park, while the remainder of the building was demolished.

In 2007, it was relocated for the second time by Brisbane City Council to its present site in the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, adjacent to the main visitor's car park.

Officially opened on 6 October 2008[47] by the Lady Mayoress Mrs Lisa Newman, in the presence of descendants of the Randall family, the renovated studio is used as a function and exhibition venue available to the public and community groups for hire.