The site of Glamis Adventure Playground was once a children's hospital. The hospital was demolished in 1963 and the land was vacant until 1969 when it became one of London's first adventure playgrounds.

The adventure playground movement started with the Danish landscape architect C. Th. Sorensen who began by building a junk playground in Emdrup, Denmark. This first adventure playground inspired Lady Allen of Hurtwood who brought the concept to London and transformed bombed out lots into supervised junk playgrounds. 

In 1969, the movement had spread to Tower Hamlets where the vacant lot of the old children's hospital was transformed into Glamis Adventure Playground, the first adventure playground in Tower Hamlets.