The Raleigh Club was a dining club

Dining club

A dining club is a social group, usually requiring membership , which meets for dinners and discussion on a regular basis. They may also often have guest speakers...

 founded in 1827. It met at the 'Thatched House', a tavern in the St James

St. James's Park

St. James's Park is a 23 hectare park in the City of Westminster, central London - the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St. James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St. James the Less.- Geographical location :St. James's...

 area of London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 as an alternative to the Travellers Club

Travellers Club

The Travellers Club is a gentlemen's club standing at 106 Pall Mall, London. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs, having been established in 1819, and was recently described by the Los Angeles Times as "the quintessential English gentleman's club." Visits are possible by invitation...

.

It was founded by Sir Arthur de Capell Brooke

Arthur de Capell Brooke

Sir Arthur de Capell Brooke, 2nd Baronet was a British baronet and travel writer, Fellow of the Royal Society and co-establisher of the Raleigh Club .-Remarks on Norway:...

 as a place where real exploring travellers could meet, exchange tales and try the cuisine of far-off lands.

It was pretty much the nursery of the Royal Geographical Society

Royal Geographical Society

The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...

 and became subsumed by that body later in the century.

A prominent early member was Sir John Barrow.