A Mad Hatter will be the special guest at the official opening of a café in King Henry VIII’s former hunting ground this weekend.

After four years of waiting, the Auriol Park Café will officially open in Worcester Park on Saturday, June 3.

While kids enjoy a giant inflatable slide and the guest appearance of the Mad Hatter, adults can take part in a game of cricket, or in a historical trivia game, celebrating the park’s Tudor heritage.

Auriol Park was once part of Nonsuch Park, created in 1538 by Henry VIII to celebrate the 30th year of his accession and the birth of his son, the future Edward VI.

James I enlarged Nonsuch Park in 1606,absorbing Auriol Park into its boundaries.

At this time, Nonsuch Park was great in size and so it was divided into the Great Park (northern part), and the Little Park (southern part - the Nonsuch Park we know today).

By 1627 the Great Park had become known as Worcester Park, and in 1731 it was sold off for agricultural land.

The café’s menu will include its specialty, a poppy seed cake, as well as healthy children’s lunch options.