There was: one thing in the past

Use there was to say that one thing existed in a place in the past. It is the past of there is.

There was + a / an + singular noun + place

• There was a market near my school.
• There was an old bridge over the river.
• There was a big yard behind our house.

There were: plural nouns

Use there were with plural nouns. The verb follows the noun after it: there was a shop, there were two shops.

• one thing → There was a café.
• two or more → There were two cafés.
• uncountable → There was a lot of noise.

• There were three bedrooms in our old apartment.
• There were some benches in the yard.
• There were a lot of small shops on our street.