Henry James Whitman [also known as H. J. Whitman] was born in Hammersmith, London, England in c. 1852. In the 1881 England and Wales census and later censuses he gave his occupation as Master Builder. He also practised as an architect and was a Fellow of the Society of Architects (FSA). His business was based in Chiswick, Middlesex [now London]
By the 1920s he was in partnership with his sons as H. J. Whitman & Sons in Chiswick.
Whitman's houses featured vernacular elements in their design. He used casement rather than sash windows, with leaded glass, tile-hanging and porches. Most of his commissions were in the Chiswick area.
He died at his home, Prospect House, High Road, Chiswick on 3 September 1934.
45, 49, 102 and 126 Barrowgate Road, Chiswick; and 277 and 279 Dukes Avenue, Chiswick