Maitland became a parish in 1838 and is one of the oldest parishes in the Diocese of Newcastle. The first St Mary’s Church was designed by James Hume and situated between the present Church and the Rectory. Completed in 1843, it was designed to be functional rather than architecturally attractive.

With a growing population, the question arose about enlarging the Church Building. The Colonial Architect, Edmund Blackett, said that it was too costly to enlarge and repair and so proposed a new building to seat 700 persons and built on an ecclesiastical plan that would look like a house of God. The foundation stone was laid in 1860 but the bell tower was not completed until 1887.

The four altar sets consist of an altar frontal, chasuble and stole. They are in the four liturgical colours of white, green, purple and red. They were created by Jan Clark, an internationally-renowned textile artist. They all have a small symbol of Mary. This is the nine blue tiles, echoing the existing decoration of the Church interior and the Greek word Theotokos, which means ‘God Bearer’ and is a symbolic name for Mary.

	White symbolises purity, holiness, joy, innocence and triumph. It is used in the seasons of glory – Christmas and Easter and other high points of the Anglican Church year. Jesus said ‘I am the light of the world’ and this frontal represents that light spreading across the earth. Gold and silver and the symbolic blues of Mary swirl around the focal point of the altar frontal – the figure of Jesus.
	The season of green is one of life, hope and growth. This is represented by the young eucalypt growing towards the light of God. This symbol is presented at the front of the Chasuble and Stole.
	The seasons of Advent and Lent, of quietness and penitence, are symbolised by the colour purple and the Greek letters alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. The flowering Cross represents hope and the rose is another symbol of Mary. The Chasuble and Stole have the alpha and omega front.
	Red is used particularly at Pentecost. Flames symbolise the gift of the Holy Spirit descending on the Apostles. The flame tree has been used in this context. The tree image is also used on the front hem of the Chasuble and on the Stole.

The altar sets were given by the Davies family, the Nyquist family, St Mary’s Anglican Women and the Priests and people of the Parish of Maitland.

St Mary’s Church has not always had a Lady Chapel. From its beginnings in 1838, St Mary’s had always been staunchly evangelical. Maitland’s early settlers lived by a high moral code which included regular church attendance to receive Holy Communion and hear the Word of God. The Lord’s Table and the Pulpit were the two most important items in the Church. St Mary’s continued to be evangelical until the 1930’s when many changes were taking place in the Anglican Church. Candles, incense and priestly vestments began to appear.

In 1986 St Mary’s was visited by Mr John Maitland, the Secretary of the Clan Maitland in Australia at that time. He offered a copy of the Statue of Our Lady of Haddington for a Lady Chapel to be established in St Mary’s. The original statue is in the Maitland Family Chapel in St Mary’s Church, Haddinton, Scotland. The statue thus forms a link between St Mary's Church Haddington, the Clan Maitland and St Mary’s Church, Maitland.

The Altar Frontal and Chasuble for the Lady Chapel were given in memory of John Leslie Craft by his family. They also are the work of Jan Clark.

The pipe organ in St Mary’s Church was built in 1880 by the notable English firm of Henry Willis and Sons. It was installed in the Church in 1881. When first installed, the organ stood on the floor of the Church at the west end and blocked the west door.

Major alterations to the organ took place in 1933, and again in 1959, which was when the pipe work was placed in the raised gallery as it stands today, with the detached console located on the north aisle. The present cedar drawstop console was supplied in 1996 by Ian Brown and Associates.

The organ contains some 944 pipes, made of either wood or metal. They range in length rom 16 feet to approximately one inch.

The first St Mary’s Rectory was built in 1838. It was damaged by fire and repaired. In 1879, because of problems with rising damp and water, it was decided to build a new Rectory. The kitchen, study and cellar were kept from the first Rectory and now form the ground floor of the west wing of the house. The foundation stone for the new Rectory was laid in 1880. The west wing top floor was added in 1905 to accommodate the large family of the Rector, Arthur Killworth, plus two maids. The current Rectory is a perfect example of the stately homes in Maitland in the nineteenth century. Perfectly positioned in spacious grounds and adjacent to the Church, it was designed by the Maitland Architect, George Browne and boasts 12 foot ceilings and a magnificent cedar staircase. All woodwork in the house is cedar. The master bedroom has french doors which open onto a large balcony which is supported by ornamental, cast iron columns. The garden compliments the house. Both Church and rectory present a pleasant oasis in the centre of Maitland and feature in many wedding photographs.