Cooks River Parish was named after the river which flows through it. On 13 May, 1838 the first service was conducted in a temporary church. The foundation stone of the present church was laid on 7 July 1838, and the building was completed in November 1839. Thomas Bird was the architect and the builder Henry Knight, of Macdonaldtown. St Peters is one of the oldest churches in the suburbs of Sydney. Built of sun-dried bricks, by free labour, it represents the English Commissioners Gothic style in Australia. Twelve pillars, made of ironbark, support a plaster vaulted nave.

Stained Glass Memorial Windows

Stained glass windows decorate the church. Australian wildflowers are featured in one of these. The church has the following memorial windows dedicated to:

Stanley Howard
This window features a geometric design.

William Cook
This window features the Good Shepherd.
I am the Good Shepherd. John 10:11

Ethel Mary Metcalfe
This window pictures Christ and a child and an angel carrying a small child.

Amelia Reilly
This window consists of circular medallions depicting various flowers.

George Talbot
This window features a geometric design.

Children baptised in church
This window features a geometric design and shields with text.

Mary Ann Johnson
This window depicts Jesus Christ with children.

Constance Maud and Robert Haviland Way
This window pictures Christ and Mary, sister of Martha.

East window erected by St Peters parishioners
This window depicts the Ascension of Christ.
He was taken up before their eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. Acts 1:9

A.H. Bull and Dora E. Bull
These windows pictures Paul in Athens and Jesus Christ raising Jairus' daughter.

Levi Barden
This window features geometric design and shields with text.

Thomas C. Breillat
This window features circular medallions with Greek symbols.

Mary Ann Lavender
This window features a geometric design.

Ann Chalder and her son Thomas Aspinwall
This window features a geometric design.

Clara Amelia Smith
This window features circular medallions depicting Australian wildflowers.

Abel Harber and family
This window features circular medallions with symbolic representations of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Mary Breillat
This window features a geometric design and circular medallions with emblems.

The church is home to a Brindley and Foster tracker action pipe organ which was installed in 1880.