Im looking to tackle replacing the rear shoes and cylinders on my Marea this coming weekend (after getting a free brake check from Halfords)

How can I tell what brakes I have fitted to my car, without taking them to bits in advance, from what I can tell there are two types, lookheed and bendix

Car is a X plate 01 1.6 16v weekend

In my experience you can't tell which brakes you have until you take the drums off. I used to run a garage and I would like a pound for every time we had to send for the alternative from the suppliers.
If you go to a good motor factor they should be able to get it right most of the time from your VIN number but don't be surprised if ................
If you need the car to get the bits talk to them nicely and they should be able to supply both types then give a full refund on the ones you don't use.
Good luck

It shouldn't be too confusing or tricky, you've almost certainly got the 8" / 203.2mm drum setup used on nearly all Bravas, Bravos and Mareas. Cars with smaller engines and without ABS had 7" / 177.8mm drums and 2 litre cars had rear discs. I think that each type was supplied by only one manufacturer. The part numbers should be easy to track down, even just using eBay.

You may find that the drums have worn a lip over the years and need replacing, and the self-adjusters can sometimes give trouble (available only from Fiat, and not too dear...).

You can, if your careful, grind the wear lip down, but make sure its not too high, as your drums might want changing.