St James's Church was present in the area during the Norman period, but due to sand invasion by the later 14th century a new church had to be built, using some of the earlier materials. The date 1471, displayed on the roof indicates that the churches was rebuilt at that time. In 1877 the church was extensively renovated, and further restored by F W Waller in 1891, when the chancel was given a new roof and the church was fitted with a new organ chamber.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Ĺ aloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.