Early Days In Greenock

Robert
I have read your comment about William Street in Greenock and I hate to tell you you are wrong about most of what you say. My grandparents lived in 14 William Street, the old Dutch gabled house, which is now a museum. My grandmother was born at 1 William street, now demolished in the early 1900's but that was way down by the East Breast Harbour, on the other side of Dalrymple Street, which was widened once those houses were demolished.
William street during the Greenock blitz suffered no damage from bombs and even today remains as it always was when it was build over a hundred years ago.
At the top end of William street is Cathcart Square, where the Mid Kirk stands, as do the Municipal buildings. When those building were being build, one man, by the name of Cowan, refused to sell his land, so they build the Victoria tower and town hall around his property, and it was this shop that was hit by a bomb and subsequently cleared and became known locally as Cowan's Corner, and eventually a garden for the blind.
The other places you mention Orangefield, is up by the West Station area, a good twenty to thirty minute walk from William Street. East Blackhall Street was opposite the Victoria harbour, where the current Fire Station is, Regent Street, East Stewart Street, and Bogle Street are all around the Rue End are of Greenock on the east side of town. Bell entry I have never heard off.
Much has changed on Greenock's landscape with slum clearances and town modernisation, old streets have disappeared and buildings demolished, some of which are now regretted, but if you want to see Greenock as it was, you can go online and look at 'Old Greenock Maps', there are Facebook pages on Old Greenock photos of places and streets, and historical data, for family research.
If you have Scottish heritage and wish to trace your ancestors, try 'Scotland's People' website, all Scottish Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Censuses are available to search online.
I hope this helps and clears up a few misconceptions you have about Greenock

Well most of my information comes from the book Olden Days of Greenock I had found that book in the Watt library when I was there in 1999 , so if most of what I said is wrong, I am sorry but that is what was written …….

I left Greenock at 12.5 in November 1960 and returned the following year for a holiday. After that, there was a 20-year gap before I returned to Scotland to do a survey at Schweppes in East Kilbride. I had some spare time so drove down to Greenock and in particular to see Drumfrochar Road where I was brought up. Nothing left there, no tenements, and no Westburn Sugar Refinery, all left just like a bomb site!! A whole community is just gone, so sad. Mearns Street School was still there then but even that has gone now. What possesses these twats on councils just to destroy this countries heritage, not just Scotland all over the UK, and replace it with tat?