Byres Road is a mixed commercial, shopping and upmarket residential area consisting largely of traditional sandstone tenements with retail premises on the ground floor and three floors of residential flats above. Its proximity to the University of Glasgow has meant that the surrounding West End of Glasgow has a large student population. Murals painted by the notable Glasgow artist Alasdair Gray adorn the Ubiquitous Chip, the Oxfam Bookshop, and the Oran Mor bars.
