The latest addition to the Dunedin City Council city development team, the heritage policy planner said those buildings were more the exception than the norm, and Dunedin's building stock was closer to what he was used to.
''The vast majority of heritage buildings in the United Kingdom are 19th and 20th-century.''
There were very few building which were very old, because of the nature of the industrial revolution.
''I'm most experienced with Victorian buildings. It's a good fit here. I've always had an interest in the heritage of the last 200 years,'' he said.
The 35-year-old started in mid-January, taking over part of the work formerly done by Glen Hazelton, who left the council last year.
His job includes working with property owners, advising on heritage issues and associated resource consent matters, as well as promoting heritage through the annual Dunedin Heritage Re-use Awards.
Mr Windwood was born in Dorset, and studied archaeology at the University of Leicester, reaching master's level.
After university he stayed in the East Midlands, working in local authorities in urban planning, building conservation and archaeology.
In 2010, while travelling and working, he did a stint at the Wellington City Council, liked New Zealand, and wanted to come back for what he described as ''the opportunities and the quality of life''.
While back home working last year for the Nottingham City Council in planning and heritage roles, he saw the Dunedin job advertised online.
''It seemed like a great opportunity both in terms of the role and a place to live.''
Now on a two-year work visa, sponsored by the council, he has taken on a similar role in New Zealand.
In the United Kingdom, he worked with developers and property owners, discussing their ideas and visions for their buildings, ''helping them happen while at the same time protecting what makes their heritage building special''.
That included the conversion of a 17th-century law courts in Northampton, owned by the local council, which was turned into an i-Site and venue for citizenship ceremonies.
It extended to working with people who had bought ''a little thatched cottage and want to make their own mark on it''.
Mr Windwood said he was impressed with the energy of his new home's heritage sector.
''There's a lot people who are keen to get things done.
''There seems to be a real momentum building up now behind the city's heritage.''
Plenty of projects finished in recent years were acting like flagships, encouraging people to think again about the city and its heritage.
He said that tied in well with the growth in tourism and IT.
''The cliche of an internet start-up being in an old warehouse; this is one of the few places where you can live that dream.
''That is a good synergy.''
The economics and practicalities of heritage re-use had been proved in the warehouse precinct.
''I'm hopeful that will spread to other parts of the city.''
In Dunedin, he had found what he and his wife were looking for, somewhere walkable and cyclable, large enough to have a lot of cultural activities but also access to the outdoors.
''Dunedin has that in spades. It's a great little city.''
