1981 establishments in England

British synth-pop duo

English pop/rock band

Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, the singles "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Careless Whisper", and "Everything She Wants" all topped the US Billboard Hot 100. Their 1984 Christmas track "Last Christmas" has become a staple of the holiday season since its release, with all proceeds from the single going to charity.

marathon running race held in London, United Kingdom

British grindcore band

British-American rock band

English pop and post-rock group

English new wave band

English pop group

British multinational telecommunications services company

British synthpop duo

national under-20 association football team representing England

snooker tournament

largest database and assembly of data on the world's terrestrial and marine protected areas

English post-punk band

British multinational enterprise accounting software company

snooker tournament

British rock band

English new wave pop band

rock supergroup

London-based orchestra

peace camp in Berkshire, England

British rock group

sports-fashion retail company

Petrofac Limited is a British international energy services company that designs, builds, manages and maintains oil, gas, refining, petrochemicals and renewable energy infrastructure, and trains the people who support them. It operates in a range of markets from design to decommissioning. It is registered in Jersey (number 81792), with its main corporate office on Jermyn Street, London. It has 7,950 employees across more than 30 offices globally. It was for a time in the FTSE 100 Index. In October 2025 the Petrofac holding company filed for administration.

largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September

football tournament

museum in Bath, England, United Kingdom

private day and boarding school in London, England

Homebase was a British home improvement and garden centre retailer that operated across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

band

theatre company in London, United Kingdom, founded by Angelique Rockas

fare zone system managed by Transport for London

synagogue in the UK

former British video game company acquired by Mirrorsoft

automobile manufacturer

performance space in the London Borough of Wandsworth, England, the former Battersea Town Hall

British publishing company

Early music vocal ensemble

Hoverspeed was a ferry company that operated on the English Channel from 1981 until 2005. It was formed in 1981 by the merger of Seaspeed and Hoverlloyd. Its last owners were Sea Containers; the company ran a small fleet of two high-speed SeaCat catamaran ferries in its final year.