Thomas Hardy described Portland as "the peninsula carved by Time out of a single stone", and named it the "Isle of Slingers" and "Isle of the Race" in his Wessex novels; it was the main setting of "The Well-Beloved" (1897), and was featured in "The Trumpet-Major" (1880). The cottage that now houses Portland Museum was the inspiration for the heroine's house in "The Well-Beloved". Portlanders were expert stone-throwers in the defence of their land, and Hardy's "Isle of Slingers" is heavily based on Portland; the "Street of Wells" representing Fortuneswell and "The Beal" Portland Bill. Hardy also called Portland the "Gibraltar of the North", with reference to its similarities with Gibraltar; its physical geography, isolation, comparatively mild climate, and Underhill's winding streets.