Original: Without the addition of buttresses , bracing arches and iron ties over the succeeding centuries , it would have suffered the fate of spires on other great ecclesiastical buildings ( such as Malmesbury Abbey ) and fallen down ; instead , Salisbury is the tallest surviving pre-1400 spire in the world .
Simplified: Without the later addition of buttresses , bracing arches and iron ties , it would have fallen down , as spires on other great buildings have done .