St James' Church, Cooling was restored in the 19th century, when a vestry was added, and the porch was rebuilt. It was declared redundant on 19 November 1976 and vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 31 May 1978. It is now cared for by a group known as the Friends of St James' Church. The church is open daily to visitors. The churchyard provided the inspiration for the opening chapter of Charles Dickens' book "Great Expectations", in which the hero of the story, Pip, meets the convict, Magwitch. In 2005 the musician Jools Holland married the sculptor Christabel McEwan in the church. St
Cedric Charles Dickens severe stroke following emergency surgery, and died on 11 February 2006 aged 89. His autobiography, "My Life", was published in 2016 to mark the centenary of his birth. Assembled from Dickens' own writings by his daughter Jane Monk and Marion Dickens Lloyd, the book has an introduction by Miriam Margolyes and was launched at the Charles Dickens Museum in September 2016. Cedric Charles Dickens Cedric David Charles Dickens (24 September 1916 – 11 February 2006) was an English author and businessman, and the last surviving great-grandson of Charles Dickens and steward of his literary legacy. Cedric "Ceddy" Dickens was the