The town is located approximately 36 kilometres (22 mi) south-east of the state capital of Adelaide, adjacent to the Princes Highway.

There are no signs or markers to indicate that Blakiston is separate from nearby Littlehampton, and they are increasingly indistinguishable as housing developments encroach.

The town was founded by Francis Davison and named for his ancestral home, Blakiston Hall in County Durham.

In recent years the school house was restored with funding from Mount Barker District Council and a bequest from a local Rotary Club member.

All these structures date from the mid to late 19th century and are constructed from a mix of pink sandstone and red brick.

On the lower east wall are some small carvings of sailing ships, possibly dating back to the mid-19th century.

Former tenants of the rectory have reported seeing a ghostly figure in the rector's study; the alleged apparition is of an old man, sitting and quietly reading.