He was born in Fulham, London, where his father, also Henry, ran a building firm[2] constructing several of Capability Brown's designs.

[3] In 1772 Sir John Soane[4] joined Holland's practice in order to further his education, leaving in 1778 to study in Rome.

The younger son, Colonel Lancelot Holland (1781–1859), married Charlotte Mary Peters (1788–1876) and they had fifteen children.

[8] Holland began his practice by designing Claremont House for Robert Clive, with his future father-in-law in 1771[9] and their partnership lasted until Brown's death twelve years later.

Construction was slow, the start of the American war of independence in 1776 being one of the factors (Lord Cadogan also died that year).

Another joint work was Benham Park[15] 1774–75 designed for William Craven, 6th Baron Craven, three stories high, nine bays wide, in a plain neoclassical style, of stone, with a tetrastyle Ionic portico, the building was altered in 1914, the pediment on the portico was replaced by a balustrade and the roof lowered and hidden behind a balustrade.

Though the Circular Hall in the centre of the building, with its large niches and fine plasterwork, is probably as designed by Holland, it has an opening in the ceiling rising to the galleried floor above and a glazed dome.

Brown had been designing the landscape of Trentham Hall since 1768, for the owner Earl Gower, when it was decided to remodel the house, this took from 1775 to 1778,[16] it was enlarged from nine to fifteen bays, the pilasters and other features were in stone, but the walls were of brick covered in stucco to imitate stonework.

From 1778 to 1781 for Thomas Harley, Holland designed and built Berrington Hall,[19] Herefordshire, one of his purest exercises in the Neoclassical style, the exterior is largely devoid of decoration, the main feature is the tetrastyle Ionic portico.

The interior are equally fine, the most impressive being the staircase at the centre of the building, with its glazed dome and the upper floor is surrounded by scagliola Corinthian columns.

Holland also designed the service yard behind the house with the laundry, dairy and stables as well as the entrance lodge to the estate in the form of a Triumphal arch.

In 1788 Holland continued the remodelling of Broadlands in Hampshire[20] for Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston started by Brown.

Holland first major commission for the Prince of Wales, later King George IV, was his celebrated remodelling of Carlton House, London (1783 – c. 1795),[21] exemplified his dignified neoclassicism, which contrasted with the more lavish style of his great contemporary Robert Adam.

The large hexastyle Corinthian portico on the north front acted as a porte-cochère, after Carlton House was demolished the columns were reused[22] in the construction of the National Gallery by the architect William Wilkins.

Carlton House was demolished in 1827,[24] other significant interiors by Holland were the Great Hall, (1784–89),[25] and the Circular Dining Room (1786–1794).

Holland proposed further alterations to the pavilion in 1795,[31] but due to the Prince's financial problems were delayed and it was not until 1801[32] that any work was carried out, this involved extending the main facade with wings at 45 degrees to north and south containing an eating room and conservatory (these were later replaced by Nash's Banqueting and Music rooms) and the entrance hall was extended with the portico moved forward, and three new staircases created within.

He designed the Whitehall façade with its portico and behind it the circular domed vestibule 40 feet in diameter with an inner ring of eight scagliola Doric columns.

The exterior was encased in white Mathematical tiles to hide the unfashionable red brick[36] and he added the four Corinthian pilasters to the entrance front.

Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, one of the Prince of Wales's friends, commissioned Holland to remodel and extend his country residence Woburn Abbey beginning in 1786.

The exterior was remodelled with loggias and a portico with Ionic columns and the interiors completely modernised in the latest French Directoire style.

In order to find a suitable design a competition had been held between Holland, John Soane and George Dance.