Staff at Lincolnshire antiques shop left in shock after Johnny Depp surprise visit via helicopter
25 March 2023, 22:20
Staff at an antiques shop in Lincolnshire were left in shock after Hollywood star Johnny Depp made a surprise visit earlier this month, arriving via helicopter.
The actor, 59, dropped in at Hemswell Antiques Centre in a long plaid scarf and a paint splattered patchwork shirt, jeans and a blue paperboy hat, and picked up a number of "quirky items".
Depp posed for pictures with with astonished staff, after buying several rare guitars and several pieces of furniture.
Speaking to Fox Business, the Hemswell Antique Centres owner Robert Miller revealed he been sworn to secrecy before the Hollywood star's private visit and hadn't even had to keep the news from his own staff at the shop.
"He just bought a lot of very quirky items," Mr Miller said. "A desk chair, three guitars, paint sets, easels, a few pictures, posters, just a whole range of things for decorative items for his own personal property.
"He chose a vase with a skull on it. Guitars obviously. He was very friendly with, best friends with Jeff Beck, he sat and played a few tunes on this guitar I think just for old times' sake really and then decided to buy three of the guitars that were there.
Mr Miller described Depp as "really down-to-earth" and added that he overheard the him talking about Beck while trying out different guitars at the store.
Mr Depp and Beck released an album together entitled 18 last year, and had played live together on a number of occasions.
"I think I overheard him talking (about Beck) to one of his colleagues that was with him.
"It was great because he was his normal self and he was very relaxed and was able to spend time looking at things and playing on the guitars that he wanted to play on. He felt very at home."
Mr Miller added: 'He came because we do a lot of work with Pinewood Studios and help with props so have contacts. My staff didn't know until the last minute.
"He really enjoyed his experience here because he was able to be himself. He said he is in hotels a lot of the time because he's constantly bombarded by people.
"He was very down to earth and very chatty. For someone like that to come through our doors was brilliant. He played with and bought a few guitars. I'm sure he will be back."
The visit comes after Mr Depp's victory in a multimillion-dollar US lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
While waiting for the verdict in the trial, Mr Depp made a number of appearances alongside Jeff Beck in the UK, at Glasgow, Newcastle, and London.
