Victoria Blackwood is an RICS-accredited conservation surveyor specialising in listed buildings, conservation areas, and heritage property transactions. She holds a Master's degree in Historic Building Conservation from the Architectural Association and completed additional certification through Historic England's professional development programme. With 14 years advising on listed property matters, she consults for owners, developers, and local authorities on everything from window replacements to major restoration projects.
Victoria Blackwood has dedicated her career to helping owners understand, maintain, and enhance Britain's most historically significant properties while navigating the complex regulatory framework that protects them. She studied Architecture at the University of Bath before pursuing a Master's degree in Historic Building Conservation at the Architectural Association, where she developed specialist expertise in the materials, techniques, and philosophies underpinning heritage preservation. Victoria subsequently completed Historic England's professional accreditation programme and achieved RICS certification as a building surveyor with conservation specialism. Her career includes roles at Donald Insall Associates, the UK's pre-eminent conservation architecture practice, and English Heritage (now Historic England), where she processed listed building consent applications and developed intimate knowledge of what local planning authorities actually approve. Victoria's technical expertise spans lime mortar specifications, traditional building pathology, heritage impact assessment methodology, and the particular insurance requirements of thatched, timber-framed, and stone-built historic properties. She has personally advised on over 300 listed building projects ranging from simple window replacements to £5 million manor house restorations requiring extensive Historic England negotiation. Her writing serves owners who often feel overwhelmed by the perceived restrictions of listed status, helping them understand both the limitations and the surprising flexibility that thoughtful applications can achieve. Victoria addresses the practical realities of current planning policy, local authority interpretation variations, and the recent legislative changes affecting permitted development rights in conservation areas.