Henry Sulley was born to British parents in Brooklyn, New York, USA* on 30 January 1845. By 1848 he had moved to England and was living in St Mary, Nottinghamshire. He was articled to Frederick Bakewell (1824?-c.1909) from 1862 to 1866. He worked as an assistant to George Bidlake (1829?-1892) and James Tait (1834?-1915) of Bidlake & Tait in Leicester; and to William Henry Spaull in Oswestry, Shropshire. He commenced practice in Oswestry in 1869 and relocated his office to Nottingham in 1871. He subsequently remained in Nottingham for the rest of his career as an architect. He was elected a Licentiate of the Royal institute of British Architects (LRIBA) in 1911.
In addition to his work as an architect, Sulley was an authority on the temples of Jerusalem.
His address was given as 53 Dryden Street, Nottingham in 1911 and 1923; and 21 Arboretum Street, Nottingham in 1928 and 1930. He died in Nottingham on 6 November 1940
* Sulley's place of birth is sometimes given as Brookland, Long Island, New York, however, this is the place of birth consistently given in the England Census from 1851 to 1911.
Notable among buildings designed by Sulley were Upnah House, 22 Balmoral Road, Nottingham (1873); 2 Hamilton Road, Nottingham 1873; Malvern House, 41 Mapperley Road, Nottingham (1874); Oakfield, Cyprus Road, Mapperley Park, Nottingham (1882);
Elmsleigh, Hamilton Road, Mapperley Park, Nottingham (1883); Congregational Church in Addison Street, Nottingham (1884); and a warehouse on Peachey Street, Nottingham (1887-88).
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 2: L-Z. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001