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
Charles Dickens Jr. published (jointly with his father-in-law) the first editions of his two main dictionaries, "Dickens's Dictionary of London" and "Dickens's Dictionary of the Thames". In 1882 his dictionaries were picked up by Macmillan & Co. who also released his third dictionary, "Dickens's Dictionary of Paris", delayed by verifications explained in its introduction. Charles Dickens died of heart disease, at his home in Fulham, London, on 20 July 1896, aged 59. He was buried at Mortlake Cemetery on 23 July 1896. Dickens' estate was worth £17 5s. 3d at his death, and his widow was granted a government pension of £100 per