Born in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Peake was the son of a successful brick and tile manufacturer. He studied at the Royal Academy from 1853 and exhibited there twice - in 1855 and 1857 – before returning to Stoke-on-Trent to assist his father in running the family brickworks and associated colliery. He took over his father’s business interests from c.1870 and expanded the brickworks to become one of the largest in the country, as well as being active in local politics, a JP and a local philanthropist. He continued painting, largely landscapes and portraits, mostly of local businessmen, until at least 1895. Nash Peake Street in Tunstall is named for him.