(b Fulham, London, 20 July 1745; d Chelsea, London, 17 June 1806). English architect and designer. He was a contemporary of such architects as James Wyatt, George Dance (ii) and John Soane, yet he took little part in professional competition and concentrated on a comparatively limited number of commissions, most of which involved not only building and decoration but also the furnishing of principal rooms. Here he was to develop a distinctive style of elegant simplicity, strongly influenced by French examples. He was the eldest son of Henry Holland (1712–85), a successful builder, and received his training in the family firm, at that time engaged on several notable houses in London and the provinces. His name first appears in an account of 1767 for a house built at Sutton, Surrey. Two years later he was making drawings for additions to Hale House, Hants, and assisting his father on a number of building projects, in which he showed sufficient ability to be offered a form of partnership in 1770 by Capability Brown, the landscape gardener and architect. Brown had recently begun Claremont, Surrey, for Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Passey, and required help with the interior decoration. This collaboration proved successful, and it was continued over the next few years at Benham Park (1774–5), Berks, Cadland (1775–8; destr.), Hants, and Berrington (1778–81; see COUNTRY HOUSE, fig. 4), Hereford & Worcs. It also led to Holland’s marriage to Brown’s elder daughter in 1773. Although they continued to work together from time to time until Brown’s death in 1783, Holland set up an independent practice in 1776 when he designed a new clubhouse for William Brooks in St James’s Street, London. This was soon to become a stronghold of the Whig aristocracy, from which Holland’s future patrons were almost exclusively to be drawn.

• Holland, Henry (1745-1806)
  • Cardiff
  • architecture
    • London, §II, 3(ii): Urban development, 1713–99
    • Nash, John, §1(ii)(a): Work for the Crown, c 1810 and after: Buildings for royalty
    • castles
      • Burges, William, §2: Commissions for the Marquess of Bute
    • clubs (meeting places)
      • Club
    • conservatories
      • Conservatory
      • Russell: (4) John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford
    • country houses
      • Country house, §4: 18th century
      • Crace: (1) John Crace
    • dairies
      • Dairy
    • theatres
      • Theatre, §III, 3(iii)(a): Britain: Baroque architecture
    • villas
      • Brighton
      • Clive, Robert
  • assistants
    • Soane, John, §1: Grand Tour and early career
    • Tatham, C. H.
  • collaboration
    • Elstrack, Renold
  • furniture
    • England, §VI, 4: Furniture, 1721–80
    • England, §VI, 5: Furniture, 1781–1830
    • Regency style
  • interior decoration
    • England, §V, 4: Interior decoration, 1721–90
    • England, §V, 5: Interior decoration, 1791–1830
    • Frame, §IV, 9: Britain: Regency and early Victorian
  • patrons and collectors
    • Hanover: (4) George IV, §1: Architecture and the decorative arts
    • Russell: (3) Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
    • Temple, Henry
  • personal collection
    • Soane, John, §4: Sir John Soane’s Museum
    • Westmacott: (2) Richard Westmacott (ii)
  • teachers
    • Brown, `Capability’, §2: Later work and royal appointment, after c 1754