That idea pops its head up every now and then. The porch itself is a raised Library, and is not in to support the building. there are victorian Iron rods pushed through the face to supposedly support the front which you can't quite see in that picture, but a recent investigation by structural engineers came to the conclusion that the west front was deliberatly built with a very slight lean outwards to make it look more impressive to people standing at the base of the front.

If I remember right, an extended tower in the middle did collapse, but that's a vague memory from 20 years ago and I could be thinking about another cathedral.

If you ever get the chance get to the top of the center tower there.  the view to the east is fairly spectacular out across the fens.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.