Henry Lester was born in Southampton, England in 1840. After studying in London [probably at the University of London], he returned to Southampton. He emigrated to China and settled in Shanghai in 1863 [1864 or 1867 - sources differ]. He then worked as a surveyor for Shanghai Municipal Council. He was also employed in the Public Works Department of the French Council. After working for the local authority for a number he set up his own highly-successful real estate business.
In 1913, with fellow British ex-patriots George Alfred Johnson (1879-1952) and Gordon Morriss* (c.1890-?) he formed the architectural partnership Lester, Johnson & Morris [also known as Lester, Johnson & Morriss], which subsequently became one of the leading architectural firms in Shanghai. Architectural projects in Shanghai by the firm included the Shanghai branch of the Sincere Department Store at 646, East Nanjing Road (1917); the Nissin Building at 5, the Bund (1921); Puyi Building, 110, Middle Sichuan Road (1922); North China Daily News Building,17, The Bund (1924); Bank of Taiwan Building, 16, The Bund (1926); Renji Hospital, 145, Shandong Road (1932); Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education, 505, Changzhi Road (1934); Mitsubishi Bank Building, 85, Guangdong Road (1936); and Jialing Office Building, 346, Middle Sichuan Road (1937).
Lester died in Shanghai in May 1926
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* Also known as Gordson Morris]