Designating the Ubiquitous Chip, Ashton Lane, Glasgow

From 29 January to 19 February 2026, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) sought views on a proposal to list the Ubiquitous Chip on Ashton Lane.

Built in 1893, it was part of a stable yard and workshop before its conversion to a restaurant in 1974. It contains two internal murals painted in 1977 and 1980–81 by the nationally important Glaswegian writer and artist, Alasdair Gray (1934–2019), who was a regular customer of the restaurant.

We think the building is important for the survival of the murals within their original context, their association with Gray, and their significance as examples of 20th century public mural art – which is becoming increasingly rare. The Ubiquitous Chip is also a representative example of a former stables and workshop building that contributes to its streetscape as part of a lane of buildings of similar date and character.

Through Citizen Space, we invited members of the public to tell us if they agreed with the proposed designation and if they had further comments to make.

We consulted directly with the owners and Glasgow City Council.

Our selection guidance for designation and the policies we work to are published in the Designations Policy and Selection Guidance document.

We received a total of 10 responses to our consultation on Citizen Space.

9 of those who responded to the online survey strongly agreed with our proposal to list the Ubiquitous Chip. One respondent strongly disagreed.

The responses to consultation did not raise any issues that put into question the special architectural or historic interest of the building under review.

After considering the comments received during consultation, we have updated our Report of Handling.

We have listed the Ubiquitous Chip at category C as 10–22 Ashton Lane (The Ubiquitous Chip) with murals by Alasdair Gray and Michael Lacey, excluding 6–8 Ashton Lane (The Wee Pub at the Chip), Hillhead, Glasgow (LB52670)

More information on our consultation can be found in section 4.3 of our Report of Handling, published on the Heritage Portal

We have also published a report that summarises our online consultation survey and shows the responses in full where we have the necessary permissions.