Guide to English grammar

Outside the house was a furniture van.
The adverbial (outside the house) is in front position to link with what has gone before. The new information (a furniture van) comes at the end of the sentence. We can do the same with other verbs of place and movement, e.g. come, go, lie, sit, stand.
The room contained a table and four chairs. On the table lay a newspaper.
The palace is heavily guarded. Because inside its walls sit the European leaders.
With such verbs, a pattern without inversion is possible but less usual.
On the table a newspaper lay.
There is no inversion with most other kinds of verbs.
Outside the house two women were talking. (NOT Outside the house were talking two women.)

For “There was a furniture van outside the house”, • 50.

2 We can use here and there in front position to draw attention to something in the situation.

(airport announcement) (sports commentator)

Here is an announcement for passengers on flight TW513 to Miami. And there goes Williams! Into the lead!

In this pattern we can use be, come or go in the present simple. There is inversion of the subject and verb. The noun phrase, the new information, goes at the end.
Here is an announcement. (NOT Here an announcement is.)
But when the subject is a pronoun, there is no inversion.
And there goes Williams. There he goes, look!
Where are my keys? Oh, here they are.

4 Overview: inversion
1 Subject-verb inversion
After an adverbial of place in front position, • 49(3)
On the doorstep stood an old man. Here is the news.
After direct speech, • 265(4)
“Are you ready?” Jane asked/asked Jane.

A practical guide to English grammar 48

2 Subject-auxiliary inversion
In questions, • 23
What did the man want?