It faced an uncertain future as customers deserted the iconic building at the foot of the Wrekin.
Now it has been transformed and restored to a traditional family-owned hotel incorporating the character of its setting.
This week owner Grant Moon is celebrating four years in charge of the venue since he bought it from the Swallow Hotels group.
He said: “The building had been neglected for a very long time, 10 years or more, you could tell the decor was from the 1980s.
“I think a hotel needs to make people feel comfortable but also attract corporate business.
“I feel like we have slowly put the hotel back together, we have a really good team and got them motivated again and that is the most important part of being family owned.”
Mr Moon bought the hotel via Christie and Co (for an undisclosed fee) on September 20 2010.
He has since spent more than £1million refurbishing it, adding leisure facilities and creating a new function room and outdoor wedding facility.
The hotel now welcomes thousands of visitors every year from across the world and hosts a variety of charity and corporate events as well as countless weddings.
“It was exactly what we expected,” he added.
“There were infrastructure problems as well as the cosmetic things, the hotel was lacking character but also essential facilities like a spacious bar.
“We have spent a lot of money but the renovation work will never be finished, there is still so much potential and we want to maintain the standards we have got to.
“Many places spend money and then ease off, for us it is constant reinvention, not waiting for things to wear out, making sure we follow the trend.
“If we are not moving forward, we are falling backwards.
“I am very pleased with what we have achieved and my plans are simply to make it grow.”
The building is believed to date back to 1912, it was rebuilt in the 1920s by Sir John Bayley, the founder of Wrekin college, and in the 1930s it was owned by the Lander family.
Husband and wife Offley and Muriel, along with their daughters Rachel and Joan, lived at the Hall as a private residence before moving to Sunnycroft in 1943.
It opened as a hotel and country club in the 1960s by John and Marjorie Wilson and was opened by England international and Wolverhampton Wanderers footballer Billy Wright and his wife Joy Beverley, one of the Beverley Sisters singers.
Sous chef Debbie Jarvis, 44, of Madeley, began working in the kitchen at the hotel when she was just 16-years-old under the management of the Wilson family.
Since then she has found herself working for McDonalds Hotels, Swallow Hotels and now Mr moon.
She said: “When I first started it was 32 bedrooms and now it has grown to 62, with function rooms.
“Every time it has changed hands it is like a different hotel and I have worried about the future of the hotel in the past.
“Under chains very little was done to the hotel, morale was low and at times you felt like you didn’t want to come into work.
“I am so glad it is back in family ownership, I can develop my skills more with input into the menu, morale is up and most importantly, the Buckatree is back to being known for the character it has.”
The mother-of-one said she used to do all her own butchery and fish preparation but the industry itself has changed a great deal.
Unlike Mrs Jarvis’ 28 years at the business, general manager Wayne Jenson has been in his post for two years.
But with 25 years’ experience in the hotel industry he said the Buckatree is nothing like any other hotel he has worked at.
He said: “The industry itself has changed a lot.
“Each hotel needs to have something that characterises them and attracts guests.
“We have that in bucket loads here because of the location, the name is believed to have derived from stag hunting days when a buck was found here in the fork of a tree, you can’t get much more traditional than that.”
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